CASPER, Wyo. — A search is underway in remote terrain southwest of Rock Springs for a missing single-engine plane and its pilot, a Green River man in his 50s, the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday evening. 

Deputies got the missing person report around 1:22 p.m. Tuesday after the private aircraft, a Piper Comanche, departed Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport near Rock Springs but failed to reach its scheduled destination in California.

Search and rescue efforts are focused near Pine and Little Mountain. The sheriff’s office said it’s using every available resource and coordinating with local airport officials, private air assets and the Wyoming Civil Air Patrol.

“Due to the remote terrain and current conditions, ground operations have been suspended for the evening but remain on standby to respond as needed or should conditions change,” the release said. The statement added that nighttime aerial search capabilities were in use.

“Search teams will resume ground efforts at daybreak tomorrow,” the release said.

“We urge everyone to refrain from conducting searches or drawing conclusions about the pilot’s or the aircraft’s status,” the sheriff’s office added. “Independent search efforts not only impede our progress but also risk the safety of everyone involved.”

Wyoming Guards Rescue Hiker in Box Elder Canyon

September 2023

Gallery Credit: Kolby Fedore, TSM; Photos from the Wyoming National Guard.

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