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Missing Aircraft Located, No Survivors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release Date: 26 February, 2004
Second Release
RENO, Nevada -- Civil Air Patrol
(CAP) airborne teams have located the crash site, based on radar analysis
and site investigation of a missing PA-28 Piper aircraft. Lt. Russell Bates,
USMC the pilot and his passenger, Casey Ferrone left North Las Vegas Airport
on Monday, February 15th and had not been seen since. It is presumed there
are no survivors.
The crash site, discovered at 12:22 p.m. today has been secured
and is located against a hillside approximately nine miles south of Jean,
Nevada. Preliminary identification, based on a piece of the aircraft tail was
made at 1:15 p.m. Civil Air Patrol aircraft from Nevada, Arizona and California
have been patrolling that area, plus an additional 1,000 square miles with at
least 60 CAP members and 30 aircraft, putting in over 350 flight hours. The
three state team worked very closely, making sure that no piece of ground was
left uncovered. “ I have received outstanding cooperation from the other wings“
said one of the Nevada Incident Commanders, CAP Lt.Col. Tom Miller. Notably,
United State Marine Corps helicopter crews have assisted CAP fixed wing
aircraft, with very low level searches throughout the ordeal.
The crash site has eluded searchers for over a week due to the
failure of the pilot to file a flight plan or use enroute communications to
notify FAA Flight Following of his position. CAP searchers, according to Col.
Matthew Wallace “ could only use a methodical process of deduction and
elimination to determine flight routes of highest probability. This also
included searches over vast areas adjacent to possible routes of flight to cover
the possibility of the pilot having diverted to another destination.”
Pivotal in the location of the crash site were a continuing
series of new sophisticated color radar analysis photos from USAF Air Force
Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC), in Langely, Virginia. CAP search crews
followed up on several possible “hits” with this last one leading to the tragic
discovery down in a gully.
The Nevada Wing CAP crew which made the find was headed up by
Pilot In Command, Col. Matthew Wallace, a former Nevada Wing CAP Commander,
retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and currently CAP Pacific Region Homeland
Security Officer. Upon spotting a burned area at the coordinates from AFRCC, the
CAP crew circled and radioed in for a Las Vegas Metro Police helicopter to come
in for closer inspection and identification. According to Wallace, as they
circled the crash site it would become almost invisible with changes in the
angle and amount of daylight hitting the area.
The two men were reported missing after Lt. Bates failed to
report for duty on Tuesday, February 17 for his temporary assignment at Camp
Pendleton, California. Searchers were notified later that day and, except for
days when weather conditions made search flights impossible.
Civil Air Patrol, the Official Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force,
is a nonprofit organization with more than 64,000 members nationwide. Volunteers
perform search and rescue, homeland security, disaster relief and counter drug
missions at the request of federal, state, and local authorities. The members
take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost
27,000 young people currently participating in the CAP Cadet program. CAP has
been performing missions for America for 60 years.
MEDIA INQUIRIES, PRIMARY: Maj. Cynthia S. Ryan, 775.853.4057 Land
line. 775.848.3072 mobile. Walybird@sbcglobal.net
Nevada Wing headquarters,
Reno, Nevada: 775.358.3700
SECONDARY CONTACT:
SM Scott Lilley,
775.336.9113 land line. 775.336.9113 mobile. Email:scottlilley@sbcglobal.net
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