Wreckage of Martin’s Jet Found Near Peak

The wreckage of an F4-C fighter jet piloted by the son of entertainer Dean Martin, which has been missing since Saturday, was found Wednesday afternoon on a rugged mountain slope northwest of Palm Springs.

A California Air National Guard officer, who declined to give his name, confirmed that the wreckage was that of the plane flown by Capt. Dean Paul Martin, 35, and his weapons officer, Capt. Ramon Ortiz, 39, of Las Vegas. There was no immediate confirmation of the fate of the two men.

The two fliers had been sought since Saturday when the jet disappeared a few minutes after taking off from March Air Force Base near Riverside during a snowstorm. They were on a routine training mission with two other planes assigned to the 163rd Tactical Fighter Group.

Authorities said the wreckage was discovered about 3:30 p.m. at the 7,000-foot level in the vicinity of San Gorgonio Mountain north of the Morongo Indian Reservation in Riverside County. It was spotted between Potrero and Millard canyons by the crew of a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department patrol plane.

‘A Clamp On It’

Sheriff’s Department spokesman Michael McKenzie said that although there were 10 Sheriff’s Department search and rescue team members at the scene, March AFB and California Air National Guard officials had “put a clamp on it” and were not releasing any details.

Phil Jordan, spokesman for the Air National Guard in Sacramento, would say only, “We’ve been told they have found what appears to be wreckage and a parachute.”

A spokesman for Dean Martin said the family had been told of the discovery.

Early Wednesday, the search had shifted to a lower altitude on snow-capped, 11,500-foot San Gorgonio Mountain after a review of radar tapes indicated that the plane may not have been as high as first believed.

The tapes had been computer-enhanced by the Federal Aviation Administration and, according to Sgt. 1st Class Carolyn Hamilton of the National Guard, they showed that the jet was flying at 9,300 feet instead of 11,300 feet.

It was estimated that Martin’s plane was flying about 500 m.p.h. when it vanished from radar screens.

All three planes had been were ordered by air traffic controllers at Ontario International Airport to change course in order to avoid San Gorgonio--Southern California’s tallest peak.

As weather conditions improved Wednesday morning, about 140 people aided by eight aircraft--began searching the rugged mountain canyons around San Gorgonio.

Throughout the day, people from nine agencies were involved in the search for the missing plane. They fanned out across a 26-square-mile area on and around the wind-blasted peak.