The Utah Air National Guard deployed an Apache helicopter Tuesday evening to search for a missing Wyoming pilot southwest of Rock Springs, re-launching the paused search and identifying an “area of interest," in a mountainous area, the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office reports.
The helicopter deployed about three hours after the local sheriff’s office had to pause ground and air searches due to cloud cover, tough conditions and terrain, says a statement sheriff’s office spokesman Jason Mower released Wednesday morning.
The Apache flight crew found a “possible area of interest, noting what appeared to be a ground disturbance in the search area near Little Mountain, southwest of Rock Springs,” wrote Mower.
Search and rescue ground crews staged in that area at about 6 a.m. Wednesday to help the ongoing aerial search efforts, the statement says.
The Wyoming Civil Air Patrol deployed a fixed-wing aircraft to confirm the Apache’s findings at about 8 a.m. And by 8:30, Mower wrote, the Wyoming Army National Guard had deployed a Huey helicopter equipped with emergency medical and hoist capabilities.
“Once again, we urge everyone to refrain from conducting independent searches,” the statement says, adding that ground crews encountered interference from independent search parties in the area Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
“Unauthorized individuals entering the area may face citation, arrest and prosecution,” Mower wrote. “Rest assured; we are utilizing all available resources and working with every possible asset to locate the missing pilot and aircraft as quickly and safely as possible.”
The Flight That Stopped
The pilot, a Green River man in his mid-50s, left Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport outside of Rock Springs just after 6 a.m. Tuesday, but he and the Piper Comanche he was flying did not make it to his destination in California, authorities said Tuesday evening.
Someone called local law enforcement to report the pilot missing at about 1:22 p.m. Tuesday, Mower said that evening. An “intensive” search followed. Cloud cover, tough terrain and conditions prompted both air and ground searchers to regroup around 6 p.m. Tuesday. Ground searchers suspended their search.
The sheriff’s office started scrambling to get aerial units that could keep searching through the night, Mower said.
A Piper Comanche left the airport near Rock Springs at 6:08 Tuesday morning, and its flight ceased at 6:22 a.m., a tracking profile on flightaware.com indicates.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is available.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
