The search for a small plane that issued a mayday distress call before losing contact over the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Washington and Vancouver Island has been suspended.
The United States Coast Guard says in a tweet that American and Canadian searchers covered an area of more than 3,000 square kilometres without finding the lone pilot.
Crews worked through the night Tuesday trying to track the small plane that took off from Ketchikan, Alaska, with one person aboard.
Officials with the Canadian Forces Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre say the pilot described his location before contact was lost.
The U.S. Coast Guard says crews used daylight hours to scour the water more closely Wednesday.
“Suspending search efforts is always an extremely tough decision,” said Capt. Nathan Coulter, Chief of Search and Rescue for the U.S. Coast Guard’s 13th District in a release Wednesday.
“This was an extensive search involving close coordination between numerous federal, state and local agencies. A huge thanks to the many women and men from the Canadian Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and good Samaritans who assisted in planning and carrying out this search effort.”
A Canadian Coast Guard vessel and a search plane from Comox assisted in the efforts that were concentrated in waters just off Port Angeles, Wash.
Several U.S. ships and planes were leading the search, and U.S. officials say several Good Samaritans also assisted.
Files from the Canadian Press
CHEK News
