Multi-agency search locates wreckage of overdue plane in Kaibab National Forest

Two fatalities discovered on board downed single engine aircraft

Flagstaff, AZ - On Saturday, July 30, a crew member aboard a Civil Air Patrol search plane spotted the wreckage of an aircraft in the area of DeMotte Park on the Kaibab National Forest .  Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Personnel arrived on scene at about 1:30 p.m. and confirmed the identity of the aircraft and discovered two fatalities on board.  The names of the two deceased victims are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.  This investigation will be continued by the CCSO, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

At 8 a.m. Saturday the CCSO received notification from the Arizona Department of Emergency Management of an overdue aircraft that was last known to be in Coconino County. The aircraft, described as a white Cirrus SR 20 single engine plane with identification N-365DP reportedly had two adult males aboard and was flying from Rock Hill, South Carolina to Henderson, Nevada.

The last radar contact with the overdue plane was on Friday, July 29 northwest of DeMotte Park in the Kaibab Forest. One of the two men aboard sent a text message to his wife on Friday at 8:23 p.m. indicating they would arrive in Henderson, Nevada in about 90 minutes from when the message was sent.

CCSO and members of the Sheriff's Search and Rescue Unit conducted ground searches while the Civil Air Patrol conducted air searches with three fixed wing aircraft. Other agencies assisting with the search included the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, the Arizona Department of Emergency Management, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service.