What happened
On 21 December 2019, a Cessna 172H was performing a flight northwest of Tofino, British Columbia. The aircraft, which was operated privately, failed to arrive at Courtenay Airpark at its scheduled time, prompting the aircraft to be declared missing.
Following a search, the wreckage was located on 22 December 2019. The debris was found in a remote area near Sydney Inlet Provincial Park, situated roughly 24 nautical miles northwest of Tofino. The pilot was the only occupant of the aircraft and sustained fatal injuries during the event.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the circumstances surrounding the aircraft's disappearance and its subsequent discovery in a remote location. Investigators established the timeline of the flight, the failure to return to the intended destination, and the eventual location of the destroyed aircraft.