Two licensed pilots have died after a Cessna 172 aircraft crashed near Kisbey in southeastern Saskatchewan during a night cross-country flight, according to the Manitoba-based flight school that registered the aircraft.
The aircraft, operated by Harv’s Air, was travelling from Regina to Steinbach, Manitoba, with a planned route through Carlyle, Saskatchewan, when it failed to arrive as expected. The plane was reported overdue to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) at approximately 10:30 a.m. Friday.
Harv’s Air president Adam Penner confirmed that two people were aboard the aircraft and that both were found dead when search-and-rescue crews reached the crash site Friday evening. Penner said both occupants were licensed pilots who had rented the aircraft to build flight hours toward their commercial pilot licences.
“The entire Harv’s Air family is shocked and saddened by this tragedy,” Penner said in a statement, extending condolences to the families and friends of the two pilots.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton coordinated the response after the aircraft was reported overdue. A CC-138 Hercules aircraft from 435 Squadron located the crash site at approximately 6 p.m. Friday, after which search-and-rescue technicians were parachuted into the area. The case was later transferred to the RCMP.
The crash occurred in a rural area near Kisbey, a community in southeastern Saskatchewan located north of Estevan and near Moose Mountain Provincial Park. The remote location and wet ground conditions presented challenges for crews responding to the scene.
A local witness, Chenoa McArthur, said she noticed aircraft repeatedly circling the area Friday evening as search crews looked for the missing plane. She later saw what appeared to be parachutes descending from the search aircraft and orange smoke rising from the ground, indicating that the crash site had been located.
Emergency vehicles subsequently blocked access to roads leading toward the suspected crash site as authorities secured the area. Investigators and emergency personnel worked through the evening before the site was examined more closely the following day.
The Transportation Safety Board deployed investigators to the crash site Saturday to gather information and assess the circumstances surrounding the accident. The RCMP and Transport Canada are also involved in the investigation, while Harv’s Air is cooperating with authorities.
At this stage, authorities have not released a cause for the crash. Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft wreckage, flight information, weather conditions, the planned route and other available evidence as they work to determine what happened.
The TSB has emphasized that its role is to advance transportation safety through independent investigations. The agency does not assign blame or determine civil or criminal liability as part of its investigative mandate.
Harv’s Air, which is based in St. Andrews, Manitoba, describes itself as a family-owned flight school, air taxi and aircraft maintenance organization. The company has locations in the Winnipeg-area communities of Steinbach and St. Andrews.
The crash has also drawn attention because of the flight school’s connections to the local aviation community. Penner said the two pilots had close ties with fellow students and instructors at Harv’s Air.
The investigation remains ongoing, and officials have not indicated when additional findings about the cause of the crash will be released. Further details are expected as investigators complete their examination of the aircraft and surrounding evidence.