Search to Continue This Weekend for Missing Fullerton-Bound Plane
The search for a Fullerton-bound airplane with five people aboard, missing since Nov. 14, continued Friday without success.
Civil Air Patrol officials were planning for a strong weekend turnout of search planes to cover and re-cover the 26,000-square-mile area between Bullhead City, Ariz., where the plane took off, and Fullerton.
The plane was piloted by Richard Niemela, 37, of La Mirada. The passengers were Jeff Bird, 32, and his wife, Kathy Bird, 33, of Fullerton; Bradley Bird, 33, of Placentia, and Natalie Erickson, 19, also of Placentia.
“We have nothing exciting at this moment,” said CAP Lt. Col. Bob Fowler.
He said the search effort was in the process of checking over the Twentynine Palms military restricted area Friday.
About 17 planes participated in the search Friday. Fowler said he expects about 50 to join in this weekend.
“Some pilots get really emotionally involved in these searches,” he said. “We really want to find something out there.”
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