Body of Cessna pilot found near Ellensburg

The pilot of a Cessna 150 was found dead and the plane’s wreckage was discovered in the hills near Ellensburg Wednesday.

Kittitas County Deputies and Kittitas County Search & Rescue volunteers responded last night to a report of the plane that went missing while flying over Kittitas County en route from Yakima to Chelan. Based on the plane’s last known location and planned route, searchers worked into the early morning in the area of Whiskey Dick Mountain in Kittitas County and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office searched on the east side of the Columbia River.

A crash site was found around 9:00 a.m Wednesday with the assistance of a Life Flight helicopter. The pilot was found dead and her family has been notified. The Sheriff’s Office is working to safely recover the pilot’s remains in coordination with the Kittitas County Coroner’s Office. The National Transportation Safety Bureau will investigate the cause of the crash.

Sheriff Myers and the Kittitas County community offered condolences to the pilot’s family and appreciation for the efforts of everyone who assisted in this search.

Kittitas County Deputies and Kittitas County Search & Rescue responded Tuesday night to a report of a missing plane.

The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center notified the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), prompting immediate search efforts.

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Radar data showed missing plane headed north toward Ellensburg

Radar data from the Civil Air Patrol National Radar Forensics Team showed the plane flying north toward Ellensburg. The last recorded radar track indicated the plane’s location in the hills between Ellensburg and the Columbia River before the signal was lost. Ground and air search teams were deployed throughout the night, focusing on where the plane’s last radar signal was detected.

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