Plane vanishes in Washington, search for missing pilot underway, authorities say
A search is underway for a missing pilot after he and his plane disappeared on Monday in Eastern Washington, according to state authorities.
The missing man, a 67-year-old from Colville, took off alone from the town’s municipal airport in a private plane around noon on Monday, “planning to fly in the area for one hour before returning to Colville,” Washington State Department of Transportation officials said in a news release Tuesday.
But the man didn’t make it back as he planned and his family alerted authorities, officials said.
The missing man’s name was not released.
“No emergency beacon signals or other distress signals have been recorded in the area,” officials said. “Two flights, including the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, searched the area overnight and were unable to locate any sign of the plane.”
State aviation search and rescue teams are leading the search on Tuesday alongside local law enforcement, with efforts centered on the Colville and Stevens County area.
“Colville is approximately 70 miles north of Spokane in the northeast corner of the state and is the county seat of Stevens County,” authorities said.
The man’s plane was described as “his personal Cessna 182 Skylane.”
This story was originally published November 12, 2019 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Plane vanishes in Washington, search for missing pilot underway, authorities say."
