Crew Member on Missing Military Plane Identified

A military search for a U.S. Marine Corps observation plane that has been missing from a Southern California practice flight since Thursday failed again Sunday to locate the aircraft or its two-man crew.

Although Marine officials continued Sunday to withhold names of the missing crew members, the Bismarck (N.D.) Tribune reported that one of the men was 1st Lt. Joel Piehl, 32, of Bismarck. Piehl was identified by family members in Bismarck as an observer aboard the twin-engine, propellor-driven OV-10A Bronco, which took off from Camp Pendleton. They said they did not know the name of the pilot.

Wendy Peterson, a sister of Piehl’s, told The Times Orange County Edition on Sunday that her brother has been a Marine officer since 1984 and is an expert at desert survival, having trained infantry troops on what to do if lost in the desert. Peterson said Piehl’s family in Bismarck was praying for his safe return.

“We have a lot of people’s support and prayers from all over the country,” Peterson said. “We’re very hopeful, very, very hopeful (because) the plane he was in is equipped with ejection seats.”

Piehl is married and has two young children, she said.