Pilot124
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- Feb 5, 2004
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-- A private plane bringing six people back from a NASCAR race in South Carolina disappeared on its way to Bloomington Sunday. Emergency crews continued to search for the plane early this morning.
The six-seat, single-engine Piper Saratoga II was carrying pilot Curt Piercy and his wife, Linda Piercy; Don Maurer Jr. and his wife, Amy Maurer; Amy Maurer's brother, Brad Webb, all of Carlock; and Webb's girlfriend, whose name wasn't available, according to family friends.
They were returning from NASCAR races, friends said. The Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 race was Sunday in Darlington, S.C.
The plane took off from Darlington at 5:45 p.m. CST Sunday en route to Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. She said the plane was reported as overdue to the FAA, which issued a missing-plane notice at 2:50 p.m. CST Monday.
"The hope is they took a diversion and are safely on the ground somewhere and haven't notified anyone," Cory said.
The U.S. Air Force launched search missions at 3:15 p.m. CST Monday, said Lt. Brian Greania of the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Langley Air Force Base, Va. He said he could not comment on where the searches were, but he said nothing had been found as of early today.
"We're concerned about finding the plane right now," Greania said.
The FAA notice went to all airfields, Civil Air Patrol groups and police, fire and other emergency departments within 100 miles of the projected flight path, Cory said. They are asked to report whether they have seen the plane, even if it is safely parked at an airfield, she said.
The plane was flying under visual flight rules, so the pilot did not have to file a flight plan, Cory said.
They planned to refuel in either Louisville or Lexington, Ky., but the plane never made it, said Ed Dorner, secretary of the Crosswinds Flying Club Inc. of Bloomington.
Curt Piercy is a member of the club, which is based at Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington. The club owns this and three other planes.
Dorner said he heard there was some turbulence over the Appalachian Mountains about the time the plane may have been flying there.
The flying time for the trip should have been three hours and 37 minutes, Dorner said.
The club's planes emit an emergency locator signal that can be detected by satellites or aircraft, said Dorner.
With the electronic equipment, the search can be done in the dark, he said.
He said Curt Piercy had checked out the plane until 1 p.m. Monday, but another pilot contacted Dorner about 11 a.m. Monday thinking it should be back in the hangar. As events unfolded, Dorner alerted authorities.
"He was qualified and current," Dorner said of Curt Piercy's flying credentials.
Curt Piercy has more than 475 hours as a pilot and 50 to 55 hours flying planes with retractable gear, like that of the missing plane, he said.
Dorner said the plane recently underwent state-of-the-art maintenance. It was also checked by a pilot before it departed from Bloomington.
Dorner said members are not charged for the time the plane is in their possession. They're only charged for the actual time it is flown. The party thus could have decided not to return until Monday.
Curt Piercy owns Piercy Auto and Truck Body in Carlock, and Don Maurer Jr. runs Don Maurer Wrecker Service in Carlock with his father.
The six-seat, single-engine Piper Saratoga II was carrying pilot Curt Piercy and his wife, Linda Piercy; Don Maurer Jr. and his wife, Amy Maurer; Amy Maurer's brother, Brad Webb, all of Carlock; and Webb's girlfriend, whose name wasn't available, according to family friends.
They were returning from NASCAR races, friends said. The Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 race was Sunday in Darlington, S.C.
The plane took off from Darlington at 5:45 p.m. CST Sunday en route to Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. She said the plane was reported as overdue to the FAA, which issued a missing-plane notice at 2:50 p.m. CST Monday.
"The hope is they took a diversion and are safely on the ground somewhere and haven't notified anyone," Cory said.
The U.S. Air Force launched search missions at 3:15 p.m. CST Monday, said Lt. Brian Greania of the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Langley Air Force Base, Va. He said he could not comment on where the searches were, but he said nothing had been found as of early today.
"We're concerned about finding the plane right now," Greania said.
The FAA notice went to all airfields, Civil Air Patrol groups and police, fire and other emergency departments within 100 miles of the projected flight path, Cory said. They are asked to report whether they have seen the plane, even if it is safely parked at an airfield, she said.
The plane was flying under visual flight rules, so the pilot did not have to file a flight plan, Cory said.
They planned to refuel in either Louisville or Lexington, Ky., but the plane never made it, said Ed Dorner, secretary of the Crosswinds Flying Club Inc. of Bloomington.
Curt Piercy is a member of the club, which is based at Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington. The club owns this and three other planes.
Dorner said he heard there was some turbulence over the Appalachian Mountains about the time the plane may have been flying there.
The flying time for the trip should have been three hours and 37 minutes, Dorner said.
The club's planes emit an emergency locator signal that can be detected by satellites or aircraft, said Dorner.
With the electronic equipment, the search can be done in the dark, he said.
He said Curt Piercy had checked out the plane until 1 p.m. Monday, but another pilot contacted Dorner about 11 a.m. Monday thinking it should be back in the hangar. As events unfolded, Dorner alerted authorities.
"He was qualified and current," Dorner said of Curt Piercy's flying credentials.
Curt Piercy has more than 475 hours as a pilot and 50 to 55 hours flying planes with retractable gear, like that of the missing plane, he said.
Dorner said the plane recently underwent state-of-the-art maintenance. It was also checked by a pilot before it departed from Bloomington.
Dorner said members are not charged for the time the plane is in their possession. They're only charged for the actual time it is flown. The party thus could have decided not to return until Monday.
Curt Piercy owns Piercy Auto and Truck Body in Carlock, and Don Maurer Jr. runs Don Maurer Wrecker Service in Carlock with his father.
