WARREN, MINN. (KFGO-AM) - The Marshall County, Minnesota Sheriff’s Department has confirmed the deaths of a Grygla area couple, killed Monday in a plane crash in British Columbia.
The sheriff's office in Warren received a call Monday afternoon on a request from Canadian Search and Rescue, to check on Jim and Gloria Holte after the emergency beacon was activated on their aircraft, which could not be found on radar
A deputy was able to confirm through family that the couple had departed Alberta, making their first fuel stop at Dawson Creek according to their flight plan, but had failed to arrive for their second stop at Watson Lake.
Canadian authorities continued searching throughout the day with two planes and a helicopter, finally sighting the wreckage of their aircraft Monday night.
Jim Holte was an experienced, well known pilot and crop duster in northwestern Minnesota, who recently retired. He and his wife were flying to Alaska on a vacation when the plane crashed.
Canadian authorities say the weather was "active" at the time and could have been a factor in the crash.