The Emery County Sheriff’s Office and search and rescue were involved in the search for a missing airplane on Saturday and Sunday. Thirty-five members of the search and rescue and 10 deputies aided in the search.
The family had reported a husband and wife missing. The plane went off the radar at approximately 13,500 feet at 11:30 a.m. and the coordinates placed the plane in the Old Woman area. They were found not too far from there.
Wreckage from the plane was scattered over a wide distance. It is not known why the plane went down, but thunderstorms were ongoing that day. The plane came to rest in Sevier County.
The call came in on Saturday night at approximately 8 p.m. for deputies to check all airports in the area as the plane from Concord, Calif. to Aspen, Colo. was over due.
The wreckage was spotted from the air by helicopter on Sunday afternoon. This area had been searched by air several times. The plane was severely damaged and not intact.
The ECSO aided the Sevier County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue. The initial call was for an overdue party that was traveling by personal aircraft from northern California to Aspen, Colo. The subjects never arrived.
Family started calling for assistance on Saturday evening to help see if the plane had landed at unmanned airports in the area. It was hoped they had some mechanical problems and landed somewhere off radar.
Radar tracking had the last known contact in Sevier County, next to Emery County, and south of Sanpete County.
The Civil Air Patrol provided glide estimates from the last known location, and a search was started early Sunday morning in Emery County.
Family members made contact with a private helicopter company out of Salt Lake and they responded to the Emery County Sheriff’s Office to begin their search. At this time there had been planes in the air from Emery County Sheriff’s Office and the Civil Air Patrol.
The private helicopters located a debris field in the Saleredas Canyon located in Sevier County. GPS coordinates are: N 38.819.69 W 111.432.41.
Sevier County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue responded to the scene.
At this time this is believed to be the missing party, but it has not been confirmed. Currently the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office is working with the NTSB, the FAA, and the manufacturer of the missing aircraft to make positive identification.
Further details will be released as they come available by Sheriff Nathan J. Curtis Sevier County Sheriff’s Office.
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