3-Week Search for Plane With 5 Aboard Ends

The Civil Air Patrol on Thursday called off its search for a plane that disappeared en route to Fullerton with five people aboard.

The twin-engine plane, piloted by Richard Niemela, 27, of La Mirada, apparently left Bullhead City, Ariz., on Nov. 14 but never arrived at Fullerton Airport as expected. The CAP search began the next day and covered 25,000 square miles along the suspected flight path.

Col. Gary B. Koch, commander of the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, ordered an end to the effort Thursday because searchers had exhausted all their leads, a spokesman said. The Air Force center authorizes searches by the the all-volunteer CAP, an Air Force auxiliary. The search will be restarted if new evidence or leads are found, Capt. Rick Helmer, an Air Force spokesman, said.

The CAP search involved more than 1,000 pilots and observers.

Passengers on the plane have been identified as: Kathy Bird, 33, and her husband, Jeff Bird, 32, of Fullerton; Jeff’s brother, Bradley Bird, 33, of Placentia and Natalie Erickson, 19, of Placentia.

Relatives of those aboard the plane said they will meet Saturday to discuss starting their own search.

Lt. Col. Bob Fowler of the Civil Air Patrol said this search, which lasted almost three weeks, was unusually long because of the vast area that needed to be covered. Most last up to 13 days, he said.