EDMONTON -- Next Thursday will mark the 39th anniversary of an Alberta plane going missing.
Back on April 29, 1982, Fox Creek RCMP responded to a report that a Cessna 185 plane had not landed and was believed to have crashed.
All five people on board were reported missing and were never found: Ricky Allan Gascon, Larry Ernest Anderson, George Henry Maurer, Bevan Darryl Trottier, and Brian Lawrence Trottier.
The plane also has never been located.
It is believed the small plane was travelling between Fox Creek, Alta., and Prince George, B.C., when it crashed due to “unknown reasons.”
RCMP say the Cessna 185 is described as white with orange trim and has an engine number of 572811.
In a news release, Mounties say they investigated the circumstances surrounding the plane crash back at the time and determined there was likely a fuel tank issue prior to the plane’s take off.
Foul play was never suspected, RCMP say.
Laural Gascon, widow of Ricky Allen Gascon, said in a statement that even after 39 years of her husband missing she still thinks of him.
“We still have no idea of what happened that day so many years ago,” Gascon said. “I hope with people in the back country hiking quadding, forestry, etc., that we will find the crash site in my life time so that our children will have me here to help them through what is going to be a difficult time.”
In a statement, Cpl. James Deibert of Fox Creek RCMP said police hope closure for the families of the missing people can be found.
“It is our hope that outdoor enthusiasts will keep an eye out for signs of this plane wreckage from 39 years ago… and that somehow we might be able to bring closure for the families of these missing persons.”
RCMP ask anyone with information about the plane or its wreckage to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
