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Photo of actual missing plane. (Fox Creek RCMP)
Never Found

Fox Creek RCMP seek help in locating 1982 plane crash site

Apr 23, 2021 | 2:54 PM

RCMP are hoping residents taking to the great outdoors in western Alberta or eastern British Columbia will be able to keep an eye out for a small plane that went missing 39 years ago.

On April 29, 1982, Fox Creek RCMP received a report that a Cessna 185 plane had not returned from its flight and was believed to have crashed. The five persons on board were reported missing.

It is believed the Cessna 185 plane was traveling somewhere between Fox Creek, AB and Prince George, BC when it crashed for unknown reasons. Mounties say the five occupants that were on board the flight that day were never found, nor was the plane.

The plane is described as a Cessna 185, white with orange trim and engine # 572811.

(Fox Creek RCMP)

RCMP investigated the circumstances surrounding the plane crash at the time and it was believed there was a fuel tank issue prior to take off. Foul play was never suspected.

“After 39 years of him being missing, I still think about my husband Rick a lot—especially this time of year as the 39th year anniversary is coming on the 29th of April and we still have no idea of what happened that day so many years ago,” says Laural Gascon, widow of Rick Gascon, in an RCMP news release. “I hope with people in the back country hiking quadding, forestry, etc, that we will find the crash site in my lifetime so that our children will have me here to help them through what is going to be a difficult time.”

The following persons remain missing:

  • Ricky Allan Gascon
  • Larry Ernest Anderson
  • George Henry Maurer
  • Bevan Darryl Trottier
  • Brian Lawrence Trottier

“It is our hope that outdoor enthusiasts will keep an eye out for signs of this plane wreckage from 39 years ago,” says Cpl. James Deibert of Fox Creek RCMP, “and that somehow we might be able to bring closure for the families of these missing persons.”

If you have information, please contact the Fox Creek RCMP at 780-622-3740 or your local police.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.