UPDATE: The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office has provided the following update Wednesday morning, January 15:
At approximately 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, the Utah Air National Guard joined the search effort at the sheriff’s office request, deploying an Apache helicopter with nighttime search capabilities.
Around 10:30 p.m., the Apache flight crew detected a possible area of interest, noting what appeared to be a ground disturbance in the search area near Little Mountain, southwest of Rock Springs.
At approximately 6 a.m. this morning, search and rescue ground crews staged in the area to support ongoing aerial search efforts.
At 8 a.m., the Wyoming Civil Air Patrol deployed a fixed-wing aircraft to visually confirm the findings reported by the Apache crew the previous night.
As of press time, around 8:30 a.m., the Wyoming Army National Guard has begun deploying a Huey helicopter equipped with emergency medical and hoist capabilities to support the ongoing search and rescue efforts.
Once again, we urge everyone to refrain from conducting independent searches. Last night and again this morning, ground crews encountered interference from independent search parties in the area. In the event of an aircraft crash or emergency landing, the sheriff’s office is responsible for ensuring the integrity of the scene for NTSB investigators.
Unauthorized individuals entering the area may face citation, arrest, and prosecution.
Rest assured; we are utilizing all available resources and working with every possible asset to locate the missing pilot and aircraft as quickly and safely as possible.
We have no updates regarding the pilot or the aircraft. We will continue to provide further updates as they become available.
(Sweetwater County, WY) – A search is underway for a pilot and his private aircraft that went missing in the Rock Springs area on January 14, according to a press release shared on the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page late Tuesday night.
The full release is below.
At approximately 1:22 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, sheriff’s deputies received a missing person report for a pilot whose private aircraft departed Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport near Rock Springs but failed to reach its scheduled destination in California. The report prompted an intensive search and rescue effort throughout the afternoon and night.
Upon investigation and based on automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data, authorities have focused their search and rescue efforts on an area near Pine and Little Mountain, southwest of Rock Springs.
Investigators have identified the pilot as a man in his 50s from Green River, Wyo., and the aircraft as a Piper Comanche.
The sheriff’s office search and rescue team has deployed all available resources, coordinating efforts with local airport officials, private air assets, and the Wyoming Civil Air Patrol.
Low cloud cover hindered initial aerial search efforts, but rescuers redoubled their efforts to secure nighttime aerial search capabilities.
Due to the remote terrain and current conditions, ground operations have been suspended for the evening but remain on standby to respond as needed or should conditions change. Search teams will resume ground efforts at daybreak tomorrow.
We urge everyone to refrain from conducting searches or drawing conclusions about the pilot’s or the aircraft’s status. Independent search efforts not only impede our progress but also risk the safety of everyone involved.
We will continue to provide updates as they become available.
County 10 will update this post with any additional details as they become available.