Search aircraft, including fixed-wing planes and a helicopter, were hampered by poor weather on Thursday, but the forecast is better for Friday.Search aircraft, including fixed-wing planes and a helicopter, were hampered by poor weather on Thursday, but the forecast is better for Friday. (Courtesy Department of National Defence)

An air and ground search will continue Friday for a missing pilot in the mountainous Kootenay region of southeastern B.C.

The pilot's cellphone was traced to an area within range of a cell tower 40 kilometres northeast of Nelson, so searchers plan to concentrate their efforts in that region.

Capt. Stu Robinson, with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria, said poor weather hampered a thorough air search for the single-engine Ercoupe Thursday.

"There was cloud cover and some snow showers so it wasn't an ideal search day," Robinson said.

"The weather has been improving through the night and today [Friday] so we're anticipating better search conditions."

The two-seater vintage plane, carrying only the 83-year-old pilot, vanished Wednesday afternoon on a flight from Cranbrook to Kelowna.

Anyone who may have seen the plane in the Cranbrook-Nelson-Castlegar area is asked to report it to the rescue centre at 1-800-567-5111.

With files from The Canadian Press