Lake Erie crash recovery operation suspended
By DARREN YOURK
Globe and Mail Update
The Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Samuel Risley has returned to port after bad weather forced officials to temporarily suspend the recovery of the wreckage from a plane crash in Lake Erie.
Blowing show and high winds early Thursday sent the Samuel Risley back to Kingsville, Ont., to get fresh supplies and wait out the weather. Police said the ship could be back out to the site later Thursday, and the search will resume Friday morning if weather allows.
The ship has been surveying the site all week with a camera mounted on a remote-controlled sled. An OPP dive team is aboard, waiting to dive and survey the crash scene before deciding how to proceed.
Officials have warned that the preparation for a recovery operation of this size could take days or even weeks.
The bodies of the 10 victims — eight of whom were close friends from southwestern Ontario heading home from a hunting trip on Pelee Island — remain submerged 7.5 metres under the lake's surface.
The Cessna Caravan 208B carrying the 10 passengers crashed into Lake Erie's frigid waters about 4:40 p.m. Saturday afternoon, less than a kilometre after takeoff from an airstrip on the Island. The flight was bound for Windsor.
The Federal Transportation Safety Board announced Thursday afternoon it has suspended the Air Operator Certificate of Georgian Express airlines, the company that was operating the plane.
"The decision to suspend the Air Operator Certificate was based on the review of the company's documentation and the department's assessment of the preliminary information," a release said.
"The department will continue to work with the Georgian Express Ltd. The company will be required to demonstrate that they meet all applicable rules and regulations before its Air Operator Certificate will be re-issued."