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The Rescue 807 Crashes refers to three related aircraft accidents in 
"Alberta Wilderness & Wildlife Trust - Alberta Wilderness Association"
''Alberta Wilderness Association''. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov 2016. The three lakes in the area were re-named "Memorial Lakes" by the Government of Alberta and a cairn commemorating the crash was installed next to the highest altitude lake.
Kananaskis Country
Kananaskis Country is a multi-use area west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The area is named for the Kananaskis River, which was named by John Palliser in 1858 after a Cree acquaintance. Cove ...
, Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
on 6 and 14 June 1986. Two aircraft crashed on separate days while searching for the first aircraft. All 13 people on board the three aircraft were killed and subsequently three mountain lakes were named Memorial Lakes in remembrance of those who lost their lives.
The first crash
A Cessna 182-R (some sources sayCessna 185
The Cessna 185 Skywagon is a six-seat, single-engined, general aviation light aircraft manufactured by Cessna. It first flew as a prototype in July 1960, with the first production model completed in March 1961. The Cessna 185 is a high-winge ...
) piloted by Ken Wolff was transporting Orval Pall, a wildlife biologist A wildlife biologist studies animals and their behavior along with the role each animal plays in its natural habitat. The duties of a wildlife biologist can include: developing and conducting experiments/studies on animals in their natural habitats, ...
, over the Kananasks Country, part of the Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
on 6 June 1986 as part of a project monitoring bighorn sheep
The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...
. Nearby Calgary had been chosen to host the 1988 Winter Olympics and efforts were under way to track the Games' impact on Mount Allan (Nakiska
Nakiska is a ski resort in western Canada, in the Kananaskis Country region of the province of Alberta. It is located from Calgary, west on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) and south on Highway 40 (Kananaskis Trail). "Nakiska" is a Cree word me ...
). The plane crashed on a forested slope of Mount Kidd
Mount Kidd is a double-summit massif centrally located in Kananaskis Country in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Mount Kidd is situated within Spray Valley Provincial Park, and its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Sparrowhawk, to the no ...
and was difficult to find due to being broken into pieces and scattered beneath the canopy. The pilot's friends began searching within hours of the plane's disappearance.
The second crash
Shortly after Wolff's plane was reported missing, a search effort was hastily started by air. ACessna 185
The Cessna 185 Skywagon is a six-seat, single-engined, general aviation light aircraft manufactured by Cessna. It first flew as a prototype in July 1960, with the first production model completed in March 1961. The Cessna 185 is a high-winge ...
piloted by Bruce Pratt with two spotters crashed soon thereafter into Mount Lougheed, killing all three. Like the first plane, no one saw the plane crash, so it was unknown if any passengers survived.
The search for the first two crashes
Several agencies formed search groups on both the ground and in the air to find the two missing planes. The Canadian Air Force also joined the search and rescue operations with multiple aircraft. Hundreds of volunteers also searched on the ground. Foul weather hampered search efforts, but on 9 June the plane piloted by Bruce Pratt was found.The third crash, Twin Otter 807
At 14:52 (MDT) on 13 June, eight days after the first two aircraft went down, a Canadian Armed Forces de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter with 8 people on board, crashed "starting a small forest fire". The accident was caused by anillusion
An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people.
Illusions may oc ...
where the sun's high angle and lack of shadow on the terrain caused the pilot to perceive the mountain's distance deceptively far away.{{cite journal , title=Aviation Investigation Report A03P0194 , journal=The Transportation Safety Board of Canada , date=2003-07-16 , url=http://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2003/a03p0194/a03p0194.asp , accessdate=2016-11-25
Aftermath
Ken Wolff and Orval Pall were found on 18 June 1986.''Alberta Wilderness Association''. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov 2016. The three lakes in the area were re-named "Memorial Lakes" by the Government of Alberta and a cairn commemorating the crash was installed next to the highest altitude lake.
References