Two dead after Piper Cub crashes in Washington en route to Idaho
Written by AI from 8 reports listed below. Not checked by a person before publication. How we use AI
A 1976 Piper Cub that departed Penticton, B.C., for Grangeville, Idaho, was found crashed in Washington state with both occupants dead.
Flight details
The aircraft was a 1976 Piper Cub, a small single‑engine propeller plane. It left Penticton, British Columbia, on Saturday, Oct. 10, bound for Grangeville, Idaho. The pilot was 61‑year‑old Nicholas Grachanin and the passenger was Jim Merik.
During the flight the pilot lost communication with Seattle Center air traffic control, after which the aircraft was reported missing.
Crash site
Wreckage was located on Sunday, Oct. 11, in the Aeneas Valley near Tonasket, Washington, on a remote mountainside. The discovery was made in the afternoon, around 4:30 p.m., by Washington State Department of Transportation search and rescue teams.
The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office recovered the bodies of the pilot and passenger.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to conduct a thorough review of the incident.
Search and rescue effort
Search operations were assisted by Washington State Department of Transportation’s Air Search & Rescue, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Civil Air Patrol, Okanogan County Emergency Management, local authorities and specialized rescue teams.
Air resources were deployed throughout Washington State’s Aeneas Valley and Wauconda areas, and between Oroville and Okanogan where the plane last registered on radar.
Cell‑phone forensics helped identify more specific search areas.
What's still unclear
yakimaherald.com identifies the victims as Nicholas Grachanin and Jim Merik, while iheart.com says the identities have not been released pending family notification.