Airco Aircraft Charters Piper PA-34-220T Crash Near High Prairie, Alberta

Flight Details and Accident Sequence On the day of the accident, an Airco Aircraft Charters Piper PA-34-220T (Seneca III), registration C-FRKZ, departed Edmonton City Centre Airport at 0802 Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) for High Prairie, Alberta. The flight was conducted under instrument flight rules (IFR) with one pilot and one passenger on board. The aircraft was cleared out of controlled airspace near High Prairie at 0843 MDT, with an estimated time of arrival at 0906 MDT. The aircraft did not arrive, and a communications search was initiated. No emergency locator transmitter signal was detected. The aircraft was visually located at 1700 MDT in a densely wooded area approximately seven nautical miles southeast of High Prairie Airport. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces, with no post-impact fire. The flight was chartered to transport a customer to High Prairie for the day and return to Edmonton in the late afternoon. The pilot was familiar with the route and had performed the trip several times previously. The aircraft levelled off at the planned altitude of 8,000 feet above sea level (asl) approximately 15 minutes after takeoff. Radar data showed the aircraft tracking approximately 295 degrees magnetic at an average ground speed of 165 knots, consistent with cruise performance. At 0843, the aircraft was cleared for the NDB Runway 25 approach at High Prairie. The pilot initiated a descent at 0849, and the last radar return was at 0854, with the aircraft descending through 6,800 feet asl, 33 nautical miles from the airport. The investigation could not determine the flight path from the last radar return to the point of impact or the exact time of the accident. The pilot did not report any malfunctions or anomalies.