Two victims of Cat Lake plane crash identified

November 9, 2009

Two of the three people who died in the Nov. 6 Lockhart Air Services crash near Cat Lake have been identified.

The names of the deceased have not been officially released, but a community spokesperson has confirmed the two passengers were Ronald Ombash and Dean Meekis from Cat Lake.

Ombash was the community's youth programming co-ordinator and Meekis was his assistant.

"Obviously, it is a terrible tragedy," said Russell Wesley, search co-ordinator/communications and media relations officer.

"They are related to just about everybody in the north. Both have large families."

Wesley said Meekis has family from Deer Lake, Sandy Lake and North Spirit Lake.

"Dean's parents are from Deer Lake," Wesley said. "They are here in the community right now.

"There are two other planes coming from Sandy Lake."

Wesley said the Ontario Provincial Police are currently at the crash site and that extrication and cleanup of the site will take about three days.

"‘It's a bad crash site,' they said," Wesley said.

The two passengers and one pilot were heading for Cat Lake when the Cessna 310 charter flight went down in rugged terrain inaccessible by boat or ground about 20 kilometres west of the community and east of Hopley Lake.

Search and rescue personnel located a weak emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal from the crash site at about 5 p.m. and jumped down to the scene, where the two passengers and one pilot were found decease Nov. 8.

The plane departed Sioux Lookout around 6 p.m. on Nov. 6 bound for Cat Lake but failed to land in the community. Lockhart Air reported the plane missing to the Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ont. A ground, air and water search was launched shortly after by the Transport Safety Board of Canada, Canadian Air Search and Rescue Association, Canadian Military, and Ontario Provincial Police.

An investigation is ongoing.

The community is asking for financial donations to assist in the tragedy by contacting the radio station at 807-347-2174.

Donations can also be sent through Northern Cash Link: 5127 8600 0385 3177 and by using 9948 to load the donation.

The community will provide details of funeral arrangements for Ombash and Meekis once they are arranged.