On July 23, 2012, a JEFFKO GLASAIR (registration N743CA) was involved in an aviation accident near Tonasket, WA. One person was killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The cause of the accident is undetermined as the airplane has not been located and remains missing. This summary draws on records from NTSB.
An experimental amateur-built aircraft failed to arrive at its destination in Washington in July 2012. A search and rescue mission was launched after the pilot was reported missing.
Incident Overview and Search Operations On July 23, 2012, an experimental amateur-built aircraft, registration N743CA, failed to arrive at its planned destination of Sequim Valley Airport in Sequim, Washington. The aircraft, a Jeffko Glasair, was operated by its pilot/owner under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The cross-country flight departed from Tonasket Municipal Airport in Tonasket, Washington, at approximately 0830. Visual meteorological conditions were present at the departure point, and no flight plan had been filed. At 1520 on the same day, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert notice for the missing aircraft after family members reported its non-arrival. A search and rescue mission was subsequently initiated by the Washington State Department of Transportation. The search was terminated at 1700 on July 29, 2012, after 100 sorties had been completed in the Cascade Mountain area using fixed-wing and rotorcraft assets. No ELT signal was received during the search, and attempts to locate the pilot's cell phone via network-based location analysis were unsuccessful. The presumed route of flight would have taken the aircraft over the Cascade Mountain Range, which had an obstacle clearance of 10,500 feet MSL according to the Seattle Sectional Aeronautical Chart. The closest FAA radar sensors were located in Seattle and Spokane, Washington, approximately 150 and 120 miles from the departure airport, respectively. Examination of radar data did not reveal any targets pertinent to the accident flight. The owner had recently purchased a TSO-C126 (406 MHz) Emergency Locator Transmitter, but it could not be determined if the unit had been installed at the time of the accident. The pilot/owner was presumed to have sustained fatal injuries, with unknown damage to the aircraft. FAA records indicated that the aircraft was built by the pilot and issued its airworthiness certificate in October 2008. No maintenance records were recovered. The 72-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, single-engine sea, and instrument airplane. He also held a certified flight instructor certificate with single-engine land ratings, issued in 1970. His third-class medical certificate was issued on October 27, 2011, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. On his medical certificate application, he reported a total flight experience of 1,200 hours, with 40 hours in the prior 6 months. According to a representative from Lockheed Martin Flight Service, the pilot did not request any weather services, and there was no record of him obtaining a weather briefing from any Direct User Access Terminal providers. An automated surface weather observation at Omak Airport, 16 miles south of the departure airport, was issued 23 minutes after the presumed departure time. It recorded calm wind, 10 miles visibility, an overcast ceiling at 9,500 feet, a temperature of 17 degrees C, a dew point of 09 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.06 inches of mercury. At 0956, a surface weather observation was issued by Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, 129 miles west of the departure airport. It indicated wind from 160 degrees at 10 knots, 9 miles visibility, few clouds at 1,200 feet, broken clouds at 2,600 feet, and overcast at 3,400 feet; a temperature of 13 degrees C, a dew point of 20 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.20 inches of mercury. An AIRMET for mountain obscuration was current for the area between the time of departure and approximate landing.