Found September 16, 2014
Fresno, California — Civil Air Patrol’s California Wing located a downed aircraft missing since Monday evening. The pilot, who was seen walking near the airplane, was transported from the crash site in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains via a National Park Service helicopter.
CAP spotted the downed aircraft at 9:03 a.m. September 16, near where the last known Emergency Locator Transmitter signal had been heard. The aircraft had departed from Reid-Hillview Airport, San Jose, California, on Monday and was destined for Lone Pine, California.
Eight CAP members led by CAP Maj. Marc Sobel, the mission’s incident commander, conducted three aerial searches for the missing pilot. Initially, CAP launched an aircraft from Camarillo, California, at 11:28 p.m. Monday evening and received its first signal from the plane’s ELT at 12:44 a.m. The general location of the beacon was identified at approximately 1:05 a.m., in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, approximately 80 miles east of Fresno.
“The members of the California Wing performed this mission is an extremely polished and professional manner, which is what they are trained to do,” said California Wing Commander, Col. Jon Stokes. “I am extremely proud of them and especially proud of the way in which the mission ended.”
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 60,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs about 85 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 70 lives annually.
Its unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 25,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs.
Performing missions for America for over 70 years, CAP will soon receive the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com, www.capvolunteernow.com and www.capgoldmedal.com for more information.
Contact info: Maj Aaron Yanagihara – paocap85@sbcglobal.net – (916) 257-28151
Submitted By:
Lloyd P. Bumanglag Capt,CAP
Public Affairs Officer (PAO)
USAF Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol
Long Beach Senior Squadron 150
