The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has not been able to find the direct cause of a plane crash near Invermere last fall.
On Nov. 24, 2023, a privately registered Piper PA-28-180 aircraft travelling from Vanderhoof crashed close to Invermere.
The lone pilot was killed and the crash site was located 17 hours after the plane went down.
The safety board determined the pilot was flying at an altitude of 11,500 feet ASL when he passed Valemount.
According to the report flying unpressurized aircraft at altitudes above 10,000 feet without supplemental oxygen can lead to hypoxia.
The plane didn’t have oxygen masks equipped but investigators could not determine whether the pilot was flying at the high altitudes for long enough for hypoxia to occur.
The safety board noted that some maintenance required for the safe operation of the aircraft had not been performed, but they couldn’t determine a specific cause.
The full report can be found below.
MORE: Air transportation safety investigation report (Transportation Safety Board of Canada)
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