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Probe continues into weekend plane crash
11/12/08
BY JOHNNIE BACHUSKY
Red Deer Express
Federal aviation investigators are still trying to determine the cause of a plane crash in Central Alberta this past weekend that killed one of the founding members of the Innisfail Flying Club.
Herluf Nielsen, 67, of Spruce View, died when his Cessna 182 plane crashed last Saturday evening two kilometres south of the Innisfail Airport. He was the sole occupant of the plane.
Nielsen, a member of the Alberta chapter of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA), had spent the afternoon participating in a training exercise with members near Red Deer
“It happened so close to the airport. It’s not easy. It is not easy,” said friend and club member colleague Alvin Hand choking back tears. Hand noted it was the club’s first fatal accident since 1961.
“He was a great guy. He was very quiet and never said very much.”
Hand said he was one of the club’s best pilots, adding Nielsen was “night endorsed” - capable of flying with minimum instruments.
“We are trying to analyse what could possibly went wrong. There are a whole lot of things,” said Hand.
At about 10:30 p.m. last Saturday, Innisfail RCMP responded to a call of an over due plane that had departed from the Red Deer Regional Airport en route to the Innisfail Airport.
The RCMP, Red Deer Search and Rescue as well as CASARA members, conducted a ground search and located a plane crash site close to the Innisfail Airport.
RCMP said there was heavy fog in the area of the plane crash at the time of the crash.
Jon Lee, western regional manager for Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said investigators are probing data from three areas – weather, maintenance and pilot’s files – to determine why Nielsen’s plane crashed.
“We are still in a data collection phase and transitioning to analysing it right now,” said Lee.
Nielsen, a retired farmer, has been active for decades in promoting the club. Two years ago, he registered his 100th Young Eagle, tops among members of the club. The program in Innisfail is geared towards Grade 6 students.
Transportation Safety Board of Canada, with the assistance of the RCMP, is continuing its investigation into the crash.
jbachusky@reddeer.greatwest.ca 309-5456
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