Nicol WilsonLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A single-engine plane that vanished over Yosemite National Park last December during a winter storm was found crashed in the rugged high country, its pilot dead, a park spokesman said on Monday.
A hiker discovered the wreckage of the single-engine plane, which was largely intact, on Saturday near the park's remote Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, said Scott Gediman, a Yosemite Park ranger and spokesman.
Rangers hiked to the location on Sunday and positively identified the pilot as Nicol Wilson, who had been flying the 1966 Mooney M20F from Santa Barbara to the Mammoth Lakes Airport when he was reported missing on December 17, 2012.
Wilson's remains were removed from the crash scene and would be turned over to the Mariposa County Coroner for an autopsy, Gediman said, adding that the National Transportation Safety Board would conduct an investigation into the crash.
Authorities conducted an extensive search for Wilson, whose flight plan took him directly over Yosemite, at the time of the crash and again this year after suspending the operation during the winter season, Gediman said.
He said the plane was found above the timber line, at about 11,000 feet to 12,000 feet, a rocky area that few hikers reach during the winter season. The white plane blended in with snow on the ground, making it hard to see from the air.
Gediman said the plane would eventually be removed from its rocky perch, some of it by likely by hand and carried down the mountain by horses or mules, other parts hauled out by helicopter.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com
NTSB Identification: WPR13FAMS1
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, December 17, 2012 in Yosemite Valley, CA
Aircraft: MOONEY M20F, registration: N9524M
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On December 17, 2012, about 1230 Pacific standard time, a Mooney M20F airplane, N9524M, was reported overdue/missing near Yosemite Valley, California. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, sustained unknown injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the personal flight. The flight originated from the Santa Ynez Airport (IZA), Santa Ynez, California, about 1025 with an intended destination of Mammoth Lakes, California. An emergency locator beacon signal has not been reported.
A family member of the pilot reported the airplane overdue to local law enforcement the evening of December 17, 2012, after becoming concerned when the pilot had not arrived at his intended destination. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Alert Notification (ALNOT) for the missing airplane at 2309.
http://registry.faa.gov/N9524M
NTSB Identification: WPR13FAMS1
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, December 17, 2012 in Yosemite Valley, CA
Aircraft: MOONEY M20F, registration: N9524M
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On December 17, 2012, about 1230 Pacific standard time, a Mooney M20F airplane, N9524M, was reported overdue/missing near Yosemite Valley, California. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, sustained unknown injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the personal flight. The flight originated from the Santa Ynez Airport (IZA), Santa Ynez, California, about 1025 with an intended destination of Mammoth Lakes, California. An emergency locator beacon signal has not been reported.
A family member of the pilot reported the airplane overdue to local law enforcement the evening of December 17, 2012, after becoming concerned when the pilot had not arrived at his intended destination. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Alert Notification (ALNOT) for the missing airplane at 2309.
http://registry.faa.gov/N9524M
Plane Last Accounted For Flying Near North Dome in Park on Monday, December 17, 2012. Yosemite National Park continues the search for a single engine plane that may have gone missing over the park on Monday, December 17, 2012. The plane was last detected via radar in the afternoon on December 17, near the North Dome area in the park.
The plane, flown by pilot Nicol Wilson from the Santa Barbara area, was flying from Santa Barbara to the Mammoth Lakes Airport on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, when it disappeared. There were no passengers onboard. He was reported missing by his family on the evening of December 17, after failing to arrive in Mammoth as planned.
Search efforts for the missing plane were initiated Tuesday morning, December 18, 2012. Poor weather and lack of visibility hindered the air search efforts. Additional efforts to locate the plane via beacon receivers were unsuccessful. Multiple aircraft were able to search during daylight hours yesterday, Wednesday, December 19. Searching remains difficult due to over one foot of fresh snow at the higher elevations in the park. No clues or signs of the aircraft have been discovered.
Air search efforts will continue throughout the day today, Thursday, December 20. Weather is expected to be mostly sunny with nighttime lows around 20 degrees. Visibility is anticipated to be good throughout the day. The park is expecting a winter storm to impact the park on Friday afternoon. The storm will bring heavy snow and strong winds and will likely significantly hinder search efforts.
The search area, roughly 600 square miles, is located in a rugged section of the park that inaccessible by vehicle this time of the year. So far, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter has flown 825 miles over the search area. Additionally, Civil Air Patrol (CAP) aircraft has flown 2,214 miles over the search area.
Approximately 60 personnel are assisting in the air search, including Search and Rescue teams from Yosemite National Park, CHP, and CAP.
Search efforts for the missing plane were initiated Tuesday morning, December 18, 2012. Poor weather and lack of visibility hindered the air search efforts. Additional efforts to locate the plane via beacon receivers were unsuccessful. Multiple aircraft were able to search during daylight hours yesterday, Wednesday, December 19. Searching remains difficult due to over one foot of fresh snow at the higher elevations in the park. No clues or signs of the aircraft have been discovered.
Air search efforts will continue throughout the day today, Thursday, December 20. Weather is expected to be mostly sunny with nighttime lows around 20 degrees. Visibility is anticipated to be good throughout the day. The park is expecting a winter storm to impact the park on Friday afternoon. The storm will bring heavy snow and strong winds and will likely significantly hinder search efforts.
The search area, roughly 600 square miles, is located in a rugged section of the park that inaccessible by vehicle this time of the year. So far, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter has flown 825 miles over the search area. Additionally, Civil Air Patrol (CAP) aircraft has flown 2,214 miles over the search area.
Approximately 60 personnel are assisting in the air search, including Search and Rescue teams from Yosemite National Park, CHP, and CAP.
SANTA YNEZ, Calif. -- Three days later, crews are still searching from the skies for the missing pilot from Solvang, CA.
Yosemite National Park search and rescue crews have been concerned over the weather throughout the search.
Central Coast News took a look at the same exact model plane 'Mooney M20' just like the one missing pilot, Nicol Wilson flew when he disappeared as he flew over Yosemite National Park.
Santa Ynez Airport President Shawn Knight says the 1966 single-engine plan is known to be a very safe.
"What makes it uniquely safe is the roll cage that's actually built into the airplane so it helps it to make it that much stronger," says Knight.
An experienced pilot, Wilson took off from Santa Ynez Airport for Mammoth Lakes to meet with his family but never made it.
An emergency locator transmitter is required in every small plane. In the event of a crash a small piece of medal within the transmitter collides with a switch to turn on the transmitter's beacon. The beacon broadcasts a sound and signal so search and rescue teams can triangulate where the crashed airplane is.
But crews have been searching day and night over the North Dome of the park where Wilson's signal was last detected but with little luck.
Yosemite National Park says they have five planes and one helicopter searching the North Dome but it is in an area not accessible by foot or vehicle so they have a tough road ahead.
"It didn't activate," says Knight. "If it did, it didn't stay on long enough for the search and rescue to be able to hear it or identify it."
Central Coast News took a look at the same exact model plane 'Mooney M20' just like the one missing pilot, Nicol Wilson flew when he disappeared as he flew over Yosemite National Park.
Santa Ynez Airport President Shawn Knight says the 1966 single-engine plan is known to be a very safe.
"What makes it uniquely safe is the roll cage that's actually built into the airplane so it helps it to make it that much stronger," says Knight.
An experienced pilot, Wilson took off from Santa Ynez Airport for Mammoth Lakes to meet with his family but never made it.
An emergency locator transmitter is required in every small plane. In the event of a crash a small piece of medal within the transmitter collides with a switch to turn on the transmitter's beacon. The beacon broadcasts a sound and signal so search and rescue teams can triangulate where the crashed airplane is.
But crews have been searching day and night over the North Dome of the park where Wilson's signal was last detected but with little luck.
Yosemite National Park says they have five planes and one helicopter searching the North Dome but it is in an area not accessible by foot or vehicle so they have a tough road ahead.
"It didn't activate," says Knight. "If it did, it didn't stay on long enough for the search and rescue to be able to hear it or identify it."
UPDATE: Kari Cobb, a spokeswoman for Yosemite National Park, has identified a pilot missing from Santa Barbara County as Nicol Wilson.
KEY News has learned Wilson, 68, lives in Solvang and flies a 1966 Mooney.
Wilson's family reported him missing Monday when he didn't arrive at his destination in Mammoth Lakes.
The plane disappeared from radar as it flew over the North Dome area of Yosemite National Park. Cobb said pilots will concentrate their search in this area, however, it is possible the plane may have flown out of the park's boundaries.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter and two fixed-wing planes flown by the Civil Air Patrol are leading the search which is at 8,000 to 10,000 foot elevation.
Snow on Tuesday grounded search crews. Wednesday, aircrafts flew for 10 hours over the area, but suspended searching by 4:30pm because it was too dark. The search will resume Thursday.
Kari Cobb,
a spokeswoman for Yosemite National Park, has identified a pilot
missing from Santa Barbara County as Nicol Wilson, a man in his 60's. Cobb
told KEY News Wednesday morning that multiple aircraft are searching
for Wilson's plane; it went down while en route to Mammoth Lakes. Wilson's family reported him missing Tuesday. The family says he departed from Santa Barbara at 12:30 Monday afternoon.
The plane disappeared from radar as it flew over the North Dome area of Yosemite National Park. Cobb said pilots will concentrate their search in this area, however, it is possible the plane may have flown out of the park's boundaries. Weather conditions are good for today's search; snow on Tuesday kept the aircraft grounded.
Cobb says the search will last throughout the day, until dark, if necessary.
The plane disappeared from radar as it flew over the North Dome area of Yosemite National Park. Cobb said pilots will concentrate their search in this area, however, it is possible the plane may have flown out of the park's boundaries. Weather conditions are good for today's search; snow on Tuesday kept the aircraft grounded.
Cobb says the search will last throughout the day, until dark, if necessary.
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