Lost C-170

ohanley · Post by **ohanley** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 8:22 am

The local (Seattle) news has reported a local C-170 is missing.

No other details at this time.

funseventy · Post by **funseventy** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 4:10 pm

Eric and Bela,

Give us a reply so we can breathe a little easier.

Kelly

zero.one.victor · Post by **zero.one.victor** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 4:12 pm

I heard a little bit about this (a missing 170) Monday evening but didn't catch the story on the TV news til this morning. The missing 170 is a ragwing (N2534V) based at Auburn,owned by Association member Dave Verstrate. According to the news story,Dave & a passenger flew from Auburn to Diamond Point (between Sequim & Port Townsend) Sunday to check on a house for someone,I assume Dave's brother Don who moved there not too long ago from Alaska. Apparently they departed DP Sunday about 4pm for the short (65 mile) flight back to Auburn,but never arrived. They're missing & presumed lost. Apparently SAR operations are ongoing looking for wreckage &/or ELT signals.
Let's all cross our fingers & say a prayer for Dave & his passenger,but at this point it doesn't look good.

Eric

N170BP · Post by **N170BP** » Wed Mar 03, 2004 8:35 pm

Present and accounted for (thanks!)

Our hopes here are that they're found safe....

A good friend of mine is on the search team, so
if I hear anything, I'll let y'all know.

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

mit · Post by **mit** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 2:11 am

zero.one.victor wrote:I heard a little bit about this (a missing 170) Monday evening but didn't catch the story on the TV news til this morning. The missing 170 is a ragwing (N2534V) based at Auburn,owned by Association member Dave Verstrate. According to the news story,Dave & a passenger flew from Auburn to Diamond Point (between Sequim & Port Townsend) Sunday to check on a house for someone,I assume Dave's brother Don who moved there not too long ago from Alaska. Apparently they departed DP Sunday about 4pm for the short (65 mile) flight back to Auburn,but never arrived. They're missing & presumed lost. Apparently SAR operations are ongoing looking for wreckage &/or ELT signals.
Let's all cross our fingers & say a prayer for Dave & his passenger,but at this point it doesn't look good.

Eric

Don, is from Fairbanks and is a friend of a friend keep us posted. thanks

zero.one.victor · Post by **zero.one.victor** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 5:59 pm

Still no news as of Thursday morning,according to the TV news. They are concentrating their search along the route between Diamond Point & Auburn,as I guess they probably should. But when Dave took off from Diamond Point around 4pm Sunday,the weather was so nice I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to fly up over the Olympics,over along the Cascades,or who knows where.
I guess that's why some people say you should always file a flight plan,even for VFR. But then Flight Service would be so busy changing flight plans when people called in to revise them that the whole system would probably go haywire. IF pilots called in changes in plans,that is. I've heard of pilots that religiously filed flight plans,but often changed destinations & never refiled. Worse than no plan at all,IMHO.
Tim,Don & Dave are twins. I met Don at the gas pump at my local airport about a year ago,I thought he was Dave & was trying to ignore me! ( fat chance!) You might ask around to see if Don is up visiting around your area somewhere,just in case he hasn't heard about his brother's situation.

Eric

mit · Post by **mit** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 2:16 am

I called my friend and the word is spreading. I have not heard anything back from him. Let me know if you hear anything more I will pass it along. Thank you Eric. I did not see a report on the FAA accident sight yet?

N170BP · Post by **N170BP** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 6:06 am

It can take a number of days before something shows
up on the FAA "short list" here:

http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/iirform.htm

I've also seen nothing new (news-wise) since Tuesday.

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

zero.one.victor · Post by **zero.one.victor** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 6:16 am

Tonight's TV news (KOMO-4) said that they're still looking. They also said that there had been a possible sighting of Dave's 170 flying in the Hood Canal area. I happened to be coming home Sunday afternoon from Hoquiam via the Hood Canal,at around the same time as Dave's departure from Diamond Point. If someone did indeed spot a 170 in the area,it might have been mine! I'm probably gonna contact WSDOT-Aviation tomorrow & tell them that.
Hard to believe anyone other than a pilot could have spotted & identified an airplane flying by as a 170. In fact,I circled & made an observation pass over an airstrip at Lilliwaup (west side of the Canal,abeam Lake Cushman) which had a Maule parked on it,could be that's who called in the possible sighting.

Eric

N170BP · Post by **N170BP** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 6:33 am

Now that you mention it Eric, I was out and about (in that general
vicinity) on Sunday as well bopping around, somewhere north-east
of Bremerton (no, I didn't bust the TFR!). Ended up meandering back
southward and landed at Port Orchard, then went over to Shelton, and then headed back home the "long way" (down by TIW).

Any savvy airplane watcher/observer however would know that my
170B was too slow to be a ragwing.... <grins>

Still hoping for the best for the guys who are missing....

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

flyguy · Post by **flyguy** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 12:40 pm

Here is probably the best site to get current information.

http://sequimgazette.com/

I know we are all hoping for the best. Prayers for the family at this time are being said.

Joe Moilanen · Post by **Joe Moilanen** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 9:18 pm

I heard this morning that some of their survival gear was found washed up on shore. Doesn't look good.

Joe

ohanley · Post by **ohanley** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 3:31 am

Seattle news is reporting that Navy sonar has scanned the area near the survival gear that has an oil slick, and has identified an object that matches the dementions of a C-170. The water in this area is about 140 ft. deep.

The reality is one of our brothers has gone West!

N170BP · Post by **N170BP** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 8:19 am

I intentially flew over the area in question today on my way
to the coast. There is a well-defined oil slick.... eminating
at a point just west of the "centerline" of Case Inlet (towards the
north end of the water-way), and the slick goes perfectly northbound
for about 300 yards and then gets dispersed from the currents
in the area.

I too saw the news blurb with a side-scan sonar "print" of the
airplane, and it rests on the bottom (inverted) about 150 or so
feet down.

God bless their souls.....

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

rudymantel · Post by **rudymantel** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 1:18 pm

It does look bad-
But how much of an oil slick would 8 quarts make, after several days ?
Rudy

The International Cessna 170 Association

Lost C-170

Lost C-170

Sequim Gazette