Search for missing plane ends after aircraft wreckage located near Tonasket
Oct 12, 2026, 5:00 AM | Updated: 7:58 am
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service via Flickr Creative Commons)
(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service via Flickr Creative Commons)
Update from the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Sunday evening:
The search for a missing plane and passengers concluded Sunday evening, Oct. 11, after WSDOT search and rescue teams located the aircraft wreckage in Aeneas Valley near Tonasket.
The pilot, 61-year-old Nicholas Grachanin, and passenger Jim Merik were found deceased inside the aircraft.
WSDOT and assisting agencies located the wreckage and the two occupants at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11. The families have been notified of today’s findings.
“On behalf of the search and rescue team, WSDOT extends our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” WSDOT Air Search and Rescue Coordinator and Incident Commander Tom Peterson said. “We are thankful to everyone who contributed their time, expertise, and resources to this search effort.”
Agencies and personnel that assisted with the search included the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office, Okanogan County Emergency Management, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office air support unit, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and WSDOT personnel.
Original story
Authorities launched a search for a missing small plane Saturday that may have disappeared while flying over northeast Washington state.
The Washington State Department of Transportation coordinated a search using planes and a helicopter to find a 1976 Piper Cub.
The search is near U.S. 97, near Okanogan.
The pilot lost contact with Seattle Center air traffic control Saturday evening. Radar showed its last location between Oroville and Okanogan.
The pilot’s daughter also contacted the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office to report the aircraft missing.
The Colville Confederated Tribes are assisting with a ground search.
The plane took off from Penticton, British Columbia, in central Canada. It was due to land at an airport in north-central Idaho, near Grangeville.
The daughter reported the missing aircraft Saturday evening. Air search and rescue teams immediately began looking near the aircraft’s last known radar locations.
Crews also tried using cell phone forensics to help identify potential search areas.
Authorities said they have not detected any distress signals. Search and rescue operations continued on Sunday.
Authorities said an aircraft is following helicopter flights through the area.
