Fatal Alberta plane crash victims remembered as caring, loving individuals

Three Alberta men were among six individuals killed in a plane crash in the Rockies west of Calgary, and they are being remembered as caring and loving individuals.

RCMP said Saturday that the plane with a pilot and five passengers aboard took off from Springbank Airport, just west of the city, on Friday night and was headed to Salmon Arm, B.C.

Their names have not been released officially, but police said everyone on board was on their way to a church function.

Will Kricken got a message on his phone, letting him know that his friend Adam Laser was among the deceased.

Kricken had known Laser since he was 13, when the two met at a summer camp. He says Laser always cared about counselling and helping people.

“Adam is just like the most compassionate guy …  he’s super intentional whenever he talked to anybody,” he explained. “He was just … listening on a level that it was just rare. He just really cared about people.”

“I don’t know. I just like I can’t believe that I won’t be able to see him again.”

He says the loss of Laser has a ripple effect on the church community.

“It’s just a tragedy. It’s … just horrible,” Kricken said. “You just don’t expect this from someone who has so much life to live and who is living such … a beautiful life … He lived an inspiring life it’s just tragically cut short.”

“He impacted so many people’s lives. He’s just such a caring, compassionate man … He just brightened up everyone’s day.”

Related Stories:

• Six people killed in plane crash in Kananaskis Country: RCMP

• Transportation Safety Board begins investigation into plane crash that left six dead

The Laser family, Adam, left, Amelia, centre, and Jordan, pose for a photo. (Courtesy Jordan Laser, GoFundMe)

Laser leaves behind his wife, Jordan and a one-year-old daughter Amelia. A fundraising page for the family says he had an enthusiasm for life. It has raised around $72,000 as of 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Kirk Mealey, another individual identified, leaves behind his wife, Emily Mealey, and their first child, a baby boy, due in September.

Kirk Mealey, right, and his wife Emily Mealey. (Courtesy Taylor Mealey and Amanda Mealey, GoFundMe)

“He possessed a rare, gentle spirit, was consistently filled with joy, and always was up for adventure,” a statement on a fundraising page from the family reads.

“Kirk was a dedicated husband with an insurmountable love for Emily. He was so excited to become a father, a role he would have fulfilled as honourably as the fathers before him.”

Another man, Jacob Brown, has also been identified, leaving behind his wife Alex and their four-month-old son Ezra.

Jacob Brown, centre, with Ezra, left, and his wife Alex Brown. (Courtesy Sydney Sawatsky, GoFundMe)

On a fundraising page, a statement from the family states Jacob met his Alex at Camp Caroline and “shared his warm smile and good humour with many campers and staff alike.”

The family says he was an avid soccer player, a natural athlete, and an enthusiastic hockey fan.

“As a father, Jacob was kind and devoted, able to bring a smile to Ezra’s face like no other,” the statement reads.

TSB report could take a while to be released

Meanwhile, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is gathering information. But they say due to the isolated nature of the crash. The wreckage will be recovered for analysis at a different location.

Aviation expert John Gradek of Mcgill University in Montreal says the TSB will leave no stone unturned.

“They will look at radar tracks. They will see flight following information that was there with the air traffic control. They will look at the weather conditions at Springbank,” he told CityNews.

“They will look at the weather conditions on the flight on a ruling that was given that the pilot filed a flight plan and whether that flight plan was followed, and what the weather conditions were like and things like was the pilot qualified, or was he certified to fly in those specific weather conditions associated with the flight plan that that aircraft follows.”

He says a preliminary report may be issued in 30 days, but the TSB report will take five or six months.

“They may fast track or depending on … the extenuating circumstances associated with weather or with the aircraft itself or with the pilot’s credentials and the pilot’s track record,” Gradek explained.

“If they find any hiccups along the way or things that need some further investigation, they might delay it.”

A statement from the TBS to CityNews it is still gathering information about the aircraft but that investigators have not been able to visit the scene.

“Due to the isolated nature of the crash, it is too difficult to investigate in the field. Therefore, the wreckage will be recovered for analysis at a different location,” the statement reads.

-With files from The Canadian Press