Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Daniel Lomen, 61, and Sally Bertrand, 33, both of Fort Liard, and Sean Toner, 27, perished in the crash.
 Stanley Bertrand (above) and Sally Bertrand  |
Stanley Bertrand, 70, and Kim Deneron, 24, and pilot Brad Hager survived the crash. Wind, snow and poor visibility caused delays in flying a doctor into the community, where the survivors were treated at the nursing station.
According to RCMP Staff Sgt. Jack Kruger, Hager sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to Edmonton while Bertrand and Deneron were medevaced to Stanton Regional Hospital.
Blustery conditions had hampered search and rescue efforts as well. A C-130 Hercules and a military helicopter from Cold Lake, Alta., dropped flares but were unable to locate the wreckage of the twin-engine Deh Cho Air Navaho Chieftain due to the blowing snow and thick cloud cover early Tuesday morning.
It wasn't until a brief break occurred in the weather at 8:35 a.m. when a Deh Cho helicopter spotted the downed plane on a sandbar near the junction of the Liard and Petitot rivers.
Search and rescue personnel and medical staff were taken to the crash site by barge.
The cause of the crash was undetermined Tuesday afternoon, but Kruger said weather and visibility were poor.
The plane left Yellowknife at 8:15 p.m. As representatives of the Acho Dene Koe First Nation, they had attended a signing ceremony between the Aboriginal Pipeline Group and the Mackenzie Delta Producers Group.
The last radio contact came at 10:45 p.m. as the plane approached Fort Liard, according to Kruger.
The Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton, Ont., later received an emergency locator transmitter signal from the area.
Elder Daniel Lomen was a long-standing band councillor. He and elder Stanley Bertrand were honoured recently for their contributions to the community. Sally Bertrand was the Acho Dene Koe band manager. Pilot Brad Hager is from the Vancouver area.
