Pilot found dead among wreckage after plane goes missing near Snoqualmie Pass

ARLINGTON, Wash. — The search is over for a plane that left the Arlington airport on Sunday and never reached its destination.

The Washington State Department of Transportation said at about 1:30 p.m., it discovered wreckage near Humpback Mountain, just west of Snoqualmie Pass.

The pilot, Jerry Reidinger, 69, was found dead inside the plane.

On Sunday evening, WSDOT was notified that a 2001 Extra Flugzeugbau 300/L piloted by Riedinger left the Arlington Municipal Airport Sunday at 4:30 p.m. The tail number was 22MW.

Riedinger’s wife reported him missing at around 6 p.m. when he didn’t arrive at his planned destination in Ephrata.

Crews searched via air and ground overnight.

On Monday, a 50-person ground search was underway, along with a plane searching from the air.

WSDOT was told that Riedinger was carrying a parachute, and the plane had a new 406MHz emergency locator transmitter, but there was no communication from the plane and no emergency beacon signals.

Riedinger was the only known person in the aircraft.

The crash investigation will now be handled by the National Transportation Safety Board.

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