A 73 year old pilot reported missing after departing Oshawa Executive Airport has been found dead after search crews located his home built aircraft submerged in Wolfe Lake, Ontario Provincial Police said.
David Douglas left the airport at about 8:30 am Friday, Aug. 14, in a blue and yellow single engine aircraft and was expected to return roughly an hour later. His family reported him missing when he failed to come back.
Authorities had said Douglas was an experienced pilot who regularly flew between the area south of Kawartha Lakes and north of Lake Scugog. His last known location was near Balsam Lake, around Kirkfield.
The search involved the OPP, Trenton Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, other agencies and the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Aircraft debris was recovered from Wolfe Lake in Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park, northwest of Peterborough, before search crews located the aircraft underwater.
Police subsequently confirmed that the pilot was deceased. Arrangements were being made to recover the submerged plane.
Durham Regional Police had previously asked the public for information from anyone who might have seen or heard a low-flying aircraft in the area. The plane was identifiable by the marking “FOFZ” on its tail.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the circumstances of the crash and said it was deploying investigators near Minden Hills. The cause of the accident has not been disclosed.
