I think that the area that you have mapped near Three Valley Gap is a very good possibility. If Boychuk perceived engine trouble due to CI then the first good turn around place would be just where you have circled.
We have imagery for that area and should probably look at it again. The area around Three Valley Gap was one of the first overlays I looked at.
The imagery we are working with is from this area. I recognize the lakes and timber cuts from the imagery we are working with.
Right now we are on our third pass of this imagery, so hopefully everyone is looking really carefully.
I wanted to explain stalling and air speed because it is a confusing topic if you do not fly. I did not add it to the pic because I wanted to see it I was introducing to much information that many pilots might think was overkill.
When an airplane stalls, it is the wings that stall, not the engine. Stalling means that the wings lose there lifting ability to hold the airplane up....so it just falls...........literally.........just like a rock...........and in addition..........it will (usually) fall nose down and start to spin. The only way to recover from a stall is with lots of power and altitude. If his engine was not running at full power because ice had accumulated in his carburetor, then he would not have been able to gain normal altitude for the distance he covered, he would be flying at a slower speed, at a lower altitude and he would have to make a turn to go back.
When an airplane turns it tilts (banks) to one side. As soon as it starts to bank, the amount of G force on the airplane begins to increase the amount of weight the wings need to support.
There are quiet a number of other details, but they all relate to these somehow.
In addition to these potential problems, excessive carburetor ice can cause engine failure.
Most pilots can recover from an inadvertent stall in 500 feet or less, if everything is perfect on the airplane.
With lower power and heavier weight caused by turning, an airplane will stall at a higher than normal stall speed, which (stall speed) is indicated on the air speed indicator. So the airplane can stall well before the pilot expected it to. At lower altitudes, this usually results in a crash.
Due to the lower speeds and altitude, a high percentage of pilots and passengers survive this type of crash....the most common of all genereral aviation accidents and usually while landing or taking off.
There is one time in every flight that the pilot is forced to cause the airplane (wings) to stall. Guess.