Ground Crew Starts Search for Pilot
The Air Force launched its first ground search for a missing pilot and his warplane, scouring three mountainous areas identified as possible crash sites by U-2 radar photos and a hiker with a metal detector. The five-member ground crew was exploring the vicinities after an expert determined avalanche danger was low in the rugged wilderness about 20 miles southwest of Vail. “I’m no more excited. I’m no more optimistic and no less optimistic,” Lt. Gen. Frank Campbell said of the development in the search for Capt. Craig Button, 32, who disappeared in his bomb-laden A-10 Thunderbolt during a training exercise April 2.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
