What happened
On 25 November 2017, a privately owned Mooney M20D was performing a flight from Penticton, British Columbia, toward Edmonton/Villeneuve Airport in Alberta. The aircraft was carrying two people at the time of the flight. During the journey, radar tracking showed the aircraft performing a controlled descent in the vicinity of Revelstoke, British Columbia. After the flight failed to arrive at its destination as scheduled, the aircraft was declared overdue.
Following the report of the overdue flight, a search operation was launched. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre managed the search efforts, which continued for nine days before being officially discontinued. The wreckage of the aircraft was not located until 10 September 2018.
The investigation
The TSB conducted a Class 4 investigation into the event. This type of investigation is limited in scope and focuses on the immediate circumstances of the occurrence. The investigation involved tracking the aircraft's radar signature and coordinating with search and rescue authorities to establish the timeline of the disappearance and the subsequent recovery of the aircraft.