The wreckage of the helicopter, missing since January 5, has been found in Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains, says Captain Pedram Mohyeddin of the Pacific Maritime Forces Units, adding that the pilot has died. He was the only occupant of the plane.
According to authorities, a Canadian Forces Hercules aircraft and a Cormorant helicopter were dispatched to the national park area overnight Friday as soon as the helicopter's distress transmitter signal was received.
Due to poor visibility due to a snowstorm, they were unable to begin an aerial search upon arrival.
However, there were ground searches in the area where the emergency transmitter was still transmitting a signal, less than twenty kilometers east of Revelstoke, British Columbia.
An emergency locator beacon is a radio transmitter that is activated after an aircraft accident. It serves as a distress signal.
The search was then suspended overnight and continued on the ground the next morning, Saturday 6 January, as weather conditions had not improved.
Work to search for the helicopter resumed on Sunday morning under better conditions and clear skies. Four search teams, one from the RCMP, one from the armed forces and two on the ground, continued their operations on the ground, this time with the help of the Cormorant helicopter, which was able to get closer to the source of the distress signal thanks to better visibility.
He managed to fly low enough for the team to climb aboard and continue the search on foot. The pilot's body and debris were found sometime later, around noon PST.
The pilot's identity was not revealed; However, his family has been notified. Authorities confirm the plane was scheduled to depart Calgary, Alberta, for Sicamous, British Columbia.
The RCMP is working with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the British Columbia Coroners Service to determine the cause of the crash.
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