What happened
On the evening of 28 July 2023, a Piper PA-32R departed Springbank Airport (CYBW) in Alberta, bound for Salmon Arm (CZAM) in British Columbia. The flight was being conducted under visual flight rules with one pilot and five passengers. After failing to arrive at the destination as scheduled, the aircraft was reported overdue later that night.
During the search efforts, an aircraft flying nearby detected an emergency locator transmitter signal near Bow Valley Provincial Park in Kananaskis, Alberta. On the morning of 29 July, search and rescue teams discovered the wreckage on the eastern slope of Mount McGillivray. The impact resulted in a post-impact fire, and all six occupants were killed in the accident.