Update: The search for a missing pilot concluded Monday, May 20, after discovering aircraft wreckage near Humpback Mountain, just west of Snoqualmie Pass. Ground search crews discovered the crash site around 1:30 p.m. The plane’s 69-year-old pilot, Jerry Riedinger, was found deceased inside the plane located in a heavily forested area of the mountain.
Original Story
The Washington State Department of Transportation is searching for a missing plane in the vicinity of Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie Pass.
WSDOT Air Search and Rescue was notified Sunday evening of a missing 2001 Extra Flugzeugbau 300/L piloted by Jerry Riedinger. Riedinger left the Arlington Municipal Airport Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Riedinger’s wife reported him missing around 6 p.m. after he did not arrive at his destination in Ephrata.
An air search is underway and includes assistance from King County Search and Rescue and the King County Sheriff’s Office on the ground.
The pilot reportedly carried a parachute, and the aircraft was equipped with a new 406MHz Emergency Locator Transmitter. The aircraft has not communicated, and no emergency beacon signals have been received. Riedinger is the only known occupant.
Search efforts will continue through the night, and WSDOT Air Search and Rescue will resume efforts on Monday, May 20.
Anyone who thinks they saw or heard the plane Sunday or spotted anything in the area should call the State Emergency Operations Center at 800-258-5990 with details. Search officials do not need volunteers to conduct air or land searches.
[Information provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation]
