Rescue 807 Crashes

The Rescue 807 Crashes refers to three related aircraft accidents in Kananaskis Country, Alberta on 6 and 14 June 1986. Two aircraft crashed on separate days while searching for the first aircraft.[1] All 13 people on board the three aircraft were killed and subsequently three mountain lakes were named Memorial Lakes in remembrance of those who lost their lives.[2]

Map of Alberta, Canada depicting the location of the Rescue 807 Crashes in relation to the major cities.

The first crash

A Cessna 182-R (some sources say Cessna 185) piloted by Ken Wolff was transporting Orval Pall, a wildlife biologist, over the Kananasks Country, part of the Rocky Mountains on 6 June 1986 as part of a project monitoring bighorn sheep. Nearby Calgary had been chosen to host the 1988 Winter Olympics and efforts were under way to track the Games' impact on Mount Allen (Canada).[3] The plane crashed on a forested slope of Mount Kidd and was difficult to find due to being broken into pieces and scattered beneath the canopy. The pilot's friends began searching within hours of the plane's disappearance.

The second crash

Shortly after Wolff's plane was reported missing, a search effort was hastily started by air. A Cessna 185 piloted by Bruce Pratt with two spotters crashed soon thereafter into Mount Lougheed, killing all three. Like the first plane, no one saw the plane crash, so it was unknown if any passengers survived.

The search for the first two crashes
Stone Cairn Memorial for Rescue 807 Crashes

Several agencies formed search groups on both the ground and in the air to find the two missing planes. The Canadian Air Force also joined the search and rescue operations with multiple aircraft. Hundreds of volunteers also searched on the ground. Foul weather hampered search efforts,[4] but on 9 June the plane piloted by Bruce Pratt was found.[1]

The third crash, Twin Otter 807

At 14:52 (MDT) on 13 June, eight days after the first two aircraft went down, a Canadian Armed Forces de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter with 8 people on board, crashed "starting a small forest fire".[5]

The accident was caused by an illusion where the sun's high angle and lack of shadow on the terrain caused the pilot to perceive the mountain's distance deceptively far away.[6]

Aftermath

Ken Wolff and Orval Pall were found on 18 June 1986.[7]

The three lakes in the area were re-named "Memorial Lakes" by the Government of Alberta and a cairn commemorating the crash was installed next to the highest altitude lake.[1]

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References
  1. "Thirty years ago this month: Remembering Rescue 807 crash victims". www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca. July 14, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  2. In Memorium: Memorial Lakes. www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca.
  3. Ruth Oltmann (1997). My Valley the Kananaskis. Rocky Mountain Books Ltd. ISBN 978-0-921102-40-3.
  4. Oltmann 1997, p. 167-168
  5. Canadian Air Force. Twin Otter. Crash. June 14, 1986. 1986. Mikplu361, 13 Nov. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.
  6. "Aviation Investigation Report A03P0194". The Transportation Safety Board of Canada. 2003-07-16. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  7. "Alberta Wilderness & Wildlife Trust - Alberta Wilderness Association". Alberta Wilderness Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov 2016.
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