Navy Team Detects Possible Wreckage of Plane in Salton Sea
A U.S. Navy team has detected what may be the wreckage of an airplane believed to have crashed into the Salton Sea nearly three weeks ago.
Divers were expected to search the northeastern part of the murky lake on Friday or Saturday. The wreckage, located by Navy sonar equipment, is at a depth of about 40 feet, said Riverside Sheriff’s Deputy Pete Ortiz.
If the Piper Cherokee 180 of Grace and Robert Chatham is found, authorities will try to bring it to the surface with inflatable air bags.
The body of Grace Chatham, 82, was found floating in the lake on Jan. 1. Her 80-year-old husband is still missing. Authorities believe that the Escondido man’s body is strapped into the cockpit of the airplane.
The couple left northern San Diego County on Christmas Day to have dinner at Chiriaco Summit off Interstate 10 in Riverside County. Family members contacted authorities when they failed to return.
Once the wreckage has been recovered, Federal Aviation Administration investigators will try to reconstruct the plane and figure out what caused the crash.
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