A single-engine airplane that was reported missing over Yosemite National Park in wintry weather last Dec. 17 has been located, along with the deceased pilot, in the park's rugged Vogelsang High Sierra Camp area.
A park visitor spotted the plane on Saturday. Yosemite rangers hiked to the area Sunday and discovered the body of Nicol Wilson, the male pilot, at the scene of the crash. The plane, surprisingly, was largely intact.
A Yosemite news release issued Monday reads:
Wilson, who was flying from the Santa Barbara area to the Mammoth Lakes Airport on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, disappeared during a winter storm on Monday, December 17, 2012. After extensive searching of the Yosemite high country, the search was suspended for the winter season.
Yosemite National Park has searched extensively over the past several months, once conditions allowed for travel through the high country.
The Yosemite National Park Helitak crew was greatly assisted by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Civil Air Patrol (CAP), California Emergency Services, and YoDogs (canine search and rescue assistance) during the extensive search operation.
Yosemite National Park Rangers will be removing the plane from the backcountry over the next several weeks.
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