Sedona plane wreckage

[Dschur]

Wreckage of found plane not recent


By HILLARY DAVIS
Sun Staff Reporter
Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Authorities have confirmed that the wreckage of a small plane rests in a remote wilderness area northwest of Sedona, and that the crash was not recent.

Gerry Blair, a Coconino County Sheriff's Office spokesman, confirmed that searchers found the wreckage of the small, probably private plane in the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness Area on Monday afternoon. He said that judging from the description received from the reporting party, the wreckage could be up to a year or two old. Blair said the sheriff's office received a third-hand report at about 9 p.m. on Sunday that hikers in the area had come across the wreckage. Initial reports placed the crash site in Loy Canyon, but searchers found it in the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness Area, which is between Sycamore and Oak Creek canyons.

The crash site is located in a remote area that is not accessible by vehicles. Searchers reached the area on foot.

Blair said Monday evening that details were limited. He could not offer any information on the craft's owners, its description or tail number, what trails are nearby or whether human remains were found at the site.

"We're having a hard time describing the airplane because it was severely damaged," he said, adding that more information would be released as it became available.

Agencies involved in the search effort include CCSO and the Coconino County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Unit, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office and Search and Rescue Unit, the Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue Division, the Arizona Division of Emergency Management, and the Civil Air Patrol.

The wreckage was to remain in place overnight with security posted nearby. Blair said it was likely that the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board would join the investigation.

[wallyfrack]

viewtopic.php?f=48&t=2653&hilit=plane

Sounds like N2700Q but that's just a guess.

[fotogirl53]

I hope it is N2700Q--the families of the missing 2 people need closure.

[Vaporman]

That would be awesome if they were finally able to find that plane... I wonder where exactly it was? There's so many canyons around there but hiking trails nearby as well, but if people don't venture too far off the trails it could have been walked by many of times.

[wallyfrack]

The Search for N2700Q
April 24 - May 02 2009

“On Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006, at 10:43 am, a 1966 Cessna 182, tail# 2700Q, departed Deer Valley Airport near Phoenix (DVT) with full fuel tanks and disappeared. Although no flight plan was filed, it is believed the aircraft was headed for Sedona (SEZ) and was expected to return to Deer Valley that same afternoon or evening”. The plane contained two occupants, William Westover and Marcy Randolph.

The adventure science athletes are joining forces with a well-organized American team to provide ground searchers in the Sedona area from April 24 - May 02 2009. A significant amount of research has been conducted on the existing data and several high-priority targets have been identified. The team feels strongly that there will be a successful conclusion to this search mission.

The athletes will again bring their unique skill set to this rugged and vast wilderness area that is rife with Native American ruins and abundant wildlife. The searchers will focus on the challenging steep-sided canyons that could easily conceal a small aircraft. This expedition will test the adventure science athlete’s endurance and resolve, as they will have to be entirely self supported each day as outside support is very difficult to reach once they drop into the canyons.

If that's not it the search is on this weekend....

[azdesertfather]

wow, sounds like this 2 1/2 year saga my finally be coming to a close...

[Vaporman]

Adventure science athletes??? I think they're normally called canyoneers.

[fotogirl53]

The local radio news reported this afternoon that the remains of 2 skeletons had been found, but no identifying N number was found. Serial numbers from engine parts are being compared to services records of N2700Q. Dental records are being compared to see if it is Marcy Randolph and William Westover (the news identified them by name).

[wallyfrack]

They confirmed the plane as N2700Q.

Associated Press - April 24, 2009 7:04 PM ET

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - Coconino County authorities have confirmed the wreckage of a small airplane with two dead in wilderness northwest of Sedona as a plane missing since Sept. 24, 2006.

Searchers found a door buried at the crash site Friday, and detectives said a national aircraft database matched a serial number from a metal door-plate with the tail number of the missing single-engine Cessna.

The plane was piloted by 54-year-old Phoenix attorney William Westover and his passenger was 43-year-old Marcy Randolph.

Coconino County Sheriff's spokesman Gerry Blair says it apparently left the Deer Valley Airport in Phoenix on a sightseeing flight.

The Coconino County Medical Examiner's office hasn't positively identified the remains yet.

[PaleoRob]

Sounds like the families will finally have their answers and closure then. Good info.

[azdesertfather]

Here is a statement from the family, off of their website...

April 20, 2009
STATEMENT:
-------------------------
Yesterday, April 19th, two and a half years after it vanished, the search for missing Cessna N2700Q, with
its pilot and our daughter aboard, has ended. The plane was found in a narrow canyon ten miles
northwest of Sedona. County and State agencies are in the process of investigating and providing
official reports.

The list of people who helped in the search is long, and their efforts will be described in detail later, but
for now I especially want to thank Chris Killian and his fellow members of the Missing Aircraft Search
Team. It was Chris who finally made the break in the case that led to the plane’s discovery, and for that
we are eternally grateful.

Lynda had always hoped that something else would explain the disappearance of Marcy, and as a father,
I hoped she was right. But as a pilot I had to accept the risk and realities of flying in small planes. We
take solace now in knowing that--after nearly a thousand days without her, our beloved Marcy is finally
coming home to rest.

Although the search for N2700Q is over, we know that other planes will fall, and that other families will
suffer. It is for them that we will now begin a new search; a search for answers to hard questions that
arose about how the official search was managed, and statements made by public officials involved in
that search. We hope the answers to these questions will lead to improvements in the responsiveness of
our public agencies, the manner in which they communicate with each other, and ultimately the
effectiveness of future searches.

Today we rest though, and we remember Marcy and Bill, and we find peace and comfort in knowing that
those who loved them now have the same closure that we have so fervently sought all these long
months. For all the people who have helped and supported us in this, and for those who’ve expressed
their sympathies, we can’t thank you enough.

Phil and Lynda Randolph