RCMP confirm no survivors of crashed N.W.T. charter flight

Two pilots who have been missing since their charter flightwent down over the Northwest Territories are now confirmed dead, according to the RCMP.

In a news release late Thursday afternoon, RCMPsaid the crash site located near Behchoko, N.W.T. is under restricted access as the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) continues its investigation.

The Mounties saythe pilots' familieshave been notified, but police will not release any further information.

The King Air 200 aircraft, from Yellowknife-basedAir Tindi, was bound forWhati a small community 140 kilometres northwest of the territorial capital when it went missing Wednesday morning. The pilots, both Air Tindi employees,were the only people on board.

"It's a hard time," said airline president Al Martin. "The Air Tindicompany is about 200 people, and it genuinely is a family. It's just such a close-knit group of people.

"So it really hurts. It really hurts."

Martin said the company has been in contact with theirfamilies "all the way through."

We want to know as much as anyone else.- AirTindipresident Al Martin

A search plane spotted the twin turboprop aircrafton Wednesday afternoon, near Behchoko, but the fate of the pilots was unknown.

Search and rescue personnel parachuted into the area Wednesday, according toRoyal Canadian Air Force spokespersonDavidLavallee.Lavalleesaid Canadian Rangers fromBehchokocould not reach the site due todeep snow and weather conditions.

TheRCMPsaid Thursday the cause of the crash is under investigation, with the help ofthe police, the N.W.T. Coroner's Office and the TSB.

The TSB said investigators are headed to the site to "gather information and assess the occurrence."

Martin said Air Tindi will co-operate fully with the TSB's investigation, and plansto conduct its own investigation.

But on Thursday he had "no information to even speculate on" what may have caused the crash.

"Ultimately, we want to know as much as anyone else," he said.

Search hampered by weather

Contact with the flight was lost sometime between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m.local timeon Wednesday, when it wasapproximately 24to 32 kilometres outsideWhati, according to Martin.

TheRCMPcontacted the air force around midday, saidLavallee.A C-130 Hercules aircraft was sent from Winnipegto help with the search, and Canadian Rangers were deployed by snowmobile.

After looking through the morning and early afternoon, the Rangers returned to Whati to warm up and get more gas to head back out and continue the search, according to Rangers Sgt. Alfred Beaverho.

However, while they were planning their afternoon search, they received word that the plane had been spotted.

According to Environment Canada, it was 23 C with blowing snow in the area Wednesday. The bad weather hampered search efforts, the RCMP said.

Air Tindi flights were suspended Wednesday as a result of the incident.

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