YELLOWKNIFE — A small passenger plane with seven people on board made a forced landing in bad weather on the ice of Great Slave Lake on Thursday.
A military spokesman said the Air Tindi Cessna 208 Caravan declared an emergency when its engine quit after leaving Yellowknife.
"There is an Air Tindi aircraft out of Yellowknife that has declared a mayday because the engine quit and icing conditions, seven people on board," said Capt. Jean Houde of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
"Right now we know that the aircraft managed to land on ice west of Yellowknife."
Houde said a C-130 Hercules aircraft with search-and-rescue technicians on board was on its way to the area from Winnipeg.
Other aircraft, including a Twin Otter and a helicopter, were trying to take off from Yellowknife to join the search, but were being hampered by bad weather.
Houde said it wasn't clear if the plane broke through the ice when it landed, about 40 kilometres west of the city on the north arm of the lake.
"We know that they landed on the ice successfully, but we don't know what happened since," he said.
The airline said it appears that the seven people are safe.
"Initial indications are that the pilot and all passengers have safely evacuated the aircraft," Air Tindi said in a written statement. "A rescue of the pilot and six passengers is underway."
The plane was flying to Fort Simpson, N.W.T., when it ran into trouble.
RCMP were trying to reach the site by snowmobile.
Yellowknife was reporting periods of snow, freezing drizzle and temperatures around -10 C.
Image used for representational purposes only
