Pilot still missing in Ontario, police say plane debris found

Officials say they have found the plane belonging to a pilot who has been missing in Ontario since Friday, but are still searching for the man.

The Trenton Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) said in a post on X the search had concluded.

“It was found on Wolf Lake, in Queen Elizabeth II Provincial Park,” the JRCC said.

It comes after Durham Regional Police Service told Global News they found plane debris in the park, but were awaiting confirmation it was the subject of the search.

A massive rescue operation got underway this weekend when longtime pilot David Douglas, 73, did not arrive back at Oshawa Executive Airport as expected.

Durham Regional Police Service said he had left at about 8:30 a.m. Friday and was expected back about an hour later. When he did not arrive, a search began.

JRCC said Monday shortly before 12 p.m. that Ontario Provincial Police were now investigating Douglas’ disappearance as a missing person’s case.

“Although not the outcome we wanted, we hope the efforts of all #SAR units will aid in the continued search,” JRCC said.

Douglas was flying a light blue and yellow amateur-built aircraft.

His family is asking people in the cottage area to come forward if they saw anything that might lead to Douglas’s location.

“Anyone who heard an aircraft flying unusually low on Friday morning, or heard an engine change pitch or stop, should call 911,” a release issued on behalf of his family said, adding that anyone with camera footage from Friday is asked to preserve it and call 911.

Richard Wiltshire, a cousin of Douglas, told Global News in an interview that the 73-year-old is a longtime pilot and leisure flyer.

“This trip is, my understanding, this trip is quite normal for him to go on a flight,” Wiltshire said. “We want him home, we want him safe with his family again.”

The pilot is described as five feet seven inches tall with a slim build. He has black/grey hair and a moustache, police said.