Date:
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Contact:
Nisha Marvel, WSDOT Aviation Communications, (360) 651-6310
PUYALLUP - Yesterday afternoon the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Aviation was notified by the Seattle Flight Service Station that a single engine Cessna aircraft flying from Twin Falls, Idaho to the Renton Municipal Airport was four hours overdue. The aircraft was rented from Pro-Flight Aviation of Renton and the pilot is believed to be the sole occupant of the missing airplane.
Radar track information obtained last night from the U.S. Air Force has put the area of interest near the Yakima – Pierce County border around Chinook Pass. There has been no distress signal from the plane’s Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) or any indication of trouble when the pilot was in contact with controllers at the Yakima approach facility.
Since yesterday, volunteers from Washington Air Search and Rescue (WASAR) and the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) have been working out of the WSDOT Aviation Command Post located at Thun Field in Puyallup. Additionally the King County UH-1 rescue helicopter will be joining the effort from Boeing Field in Seattle. Ground searchers from Yakima County Search and Rescue will also assist.
About five aircraft and 50 volunteers have been participating in the search.
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