Plane Wreckage Found

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Summary

More than 2 weeks after they disappeared, a dive team is in the water searching for the bodies of two men killed in a small plane crash.

Story Published: Mar 14, 2004 at 6:38 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 1:26 AM PDT

Plane Wreckage Found
PIERCE COUNTY - Divers from San Juan County were in the water Monday morning near Herron Island looking for a plane spotted by sonar on the bottom, 140 feet deep.

The divers will attempt to recover the bodies of two men who were on the plane when it went down more than two weeks ago on a flight from Sequim to Auburn.

The sunken Cessna 170 Saturday by Bob Mester with Underwater Admiralty Services using sonar equipment. It sits in about 140 feet of water off of Herron Island, in Case Inlet. An oil sheen was spotted on the water there last week.

"The aircraft appears to be upside down, in tact - it isn't broken apart - it's all contiguous. The wings seem to be fairly straight, the tail section is straight and the landing gear is straight," said Mester.

David Verstrate, 65, and Harold Bennett, 59, disappeared on Feb. 29 as they flew back from an airfield near Port Townsend. Their families want their bodies recovered.

"It's horrible for the immediate family," said family spokesperson Casey Smith. "They don't understand and I don't think any of us understand why it's taken this long."

Mester says he was willing to lead a dive team down.

"It's a tough dive. Anything beyond 100 feet or the sport diving limits of 130 feet it's pretty technical. It's a short amount of bottom time, decompression is always a possibility," said Mester.