Search Continues for Missing Plane Carrying Marion Residents
Crews searching in rugged section of Cascade mountains in northern Washington
By Beacon Staff & Associated Press
Update: July 13, 11:30 a.m.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Search crews are battling heavy rain as they search for a missing plane that departed Kalispell Saturday afternoon and never arrived at its destination in northern Washington.
The search resumed Monday morning but heavy rain has delayed any subsequent search planes from launching until it clears up.
According to the Washington Department of Transportation, crews are focusing the search in Skagit, Whatcom, Chelan, and Okanogan counties, which includes a rugged area in the Cascade mountains south of Mount Baker and northeast of Seattle. The last found cell signal was at about 4 p.m. Saturday near Omak.
The plane was carrying Leland Bowman, 62, and Sharon Bowman, 63, both of Marion, and their step-granddaughter Autumn Veatch, 16, of Bellingham, Washington.
The plane left Kalispell at 1 p.m., headed for Lynden, Washington. The plane crossed the Idaho-Washington border near Newport at 2:21 p.m. It dropped off the radar near Omak at 3:21 p.m., according to Washington DOT officials. The last signal from one of the occupants was recorded at 3:49 p.m. in the same area.
The Federal Aviation Administration and family contacted authorities late Saturday night when the plane did not arrive on schedule.
Air crews on Sunday searched the area listening for emergency locator beacon signals as well as conducting visual searches. Emergency beacons are required on all planes. Ground search crews are on standby and will be sent in if something is detected from the air.
Washington crews are working closely with the Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and other entities on the search.
Initial report: Sunday, 8 p.m.
Crews are searching for a small, private plane that didn’t reach its destination in Lynden, Washington, on Saturday, the Washington State Department of Transportation said.
The plane carrying three people, including the pilot, left western Montana about 4 p.m. Saturday and was due in Lynden around 7 p.m. Those on the plane were identified by the Department of Transportation as Leland Bowman, 62, and Sharon Bowman, 63, both of Marion, Montana, and their step-granddaughter Autumn Veatch, 16, of Bellingham, Washington.
The plane did not arrive, and family members notified authorities.
The last phone signal from one of the plane’s occupants was detected around 11 p.m. in an area near Omak, Washington. State officials say the search is centered south of Mount Maker.
The plane is described as a white and red Beech 35 aircraft.
Volunteers from the Civil Air Patrol and Washington Air Search and Rescue are assisting Department of Transportation Aviation Emergency Services with the search.