Aircraft Lost During SAR Operation

The Civil Air Patrol has identified the victims lost in Monday's downing of a CAP Cessna 182 participating in a search-and-rescue operation in the Bighorn National Forest, about 30 miles west of Sheridan, WY.

Lost in the accident were pilot Lt. Col. James H. Henderson, 59, of Cowley, WY and a member of the Wyoming Wing Headquarters; crew member Sr. Mbr. James R. Meyer, 53, of Sheridan, WY, a member of the wing’s Cloud Peak Composite Squadron; and crew member Capt. Patricia A. Larson, 52, of Sheridan, WY, also a member of wing headquarters.

As ANN reported, the three CAP members were involved in a search generated by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, FL, for a missing 16-year-old fisherman. The crew departed the Sheridan Airport at about 1330 MDT for a two-hour mission. When they failed to return on time the Wyoming Wing incident commander notified AFRCC officials, and an overdue aircraft search was immediately initiated.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency's satellite-aided tracking system detected no signals indicating a downed plane, and no aircrews reported hearing a beacon, however at 1928 MDT a US Forest Service helicopter responding to reports of a wildfire located the crash site near where the CAP aircrew had been conducting its search mission.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. The teenager who the crew was searching for was located shortly after the accident.

FMI: www.cap.gov