News release Curry Co. Sheriff’s Office. On 07-21-16 at about 8:45am, after seventeen days of searching off the coast just north of Brookings, search and dive teams from the Sheriff’s Offices of Curry County, Josephine County, Clackamas County, Jackson County and Douglas County, Del Norte County along with Side Scan Sonar operators Gene and Sandy Ralston of Idaho, located the missing plane and one passenger just off the coast of Rainbow Rock, Brookings Or., in about fifty five feet of water a half mile off shore. Dive crews recovered the body of one of the passengers next to the wreckage and then the body was transported back to the Port of Brookings Harbor and released to Redwood Memorial of Brookings. On 07-22-16 at about 7:30am search and dive teams returned to the location of the wrecked plane and after about forty-five minutes of searching, located a second person about thirty feet from the wreckage. Dive crews from Clackamas County recovered the body and we then transported back to the Port of Brookings Harbor where the body was released to Redwood Memorial of Brookings. It is unknown at this time the identity of the second person found. Dive crews were not able to locate the third missing person on that particular dive and had to suspend the search for the rest of the day due to rough ocean conditions and high winds. Families have been notified of everything so far. We plan on trying to make another dive around the wreckage to look for the third missing person when the ocean conditions get better. This has been an exhausting and taxing search and it has taken a great deal of resources from around the state and also from Idaho. I need to give a shout out to Dan Bratten of Cal Ore Life Flight and their helicopter for his help in pin-pointing a general area for the search. Also I would like to thank the following community supporters: Driftwood R.V. Park for donating a space free of charge to the Ralston’s of Idaho for their stay here. Harbor Fire Department for filling up all the divers air tanks at no charge. South Coast Lumber for donating the time of two of their Master Electricians who were able to repair the sonar equipment on the Ralston’s boat so they could continue to search with sonar. Bod and Dave Snazuk of Beach Front Best Western for their donation to cover all travel expenses of the Ralstons. Les Schwab Tires for donating several old tire rims that were used as anchor points. I also want to thank all others who assisted or supported our efforts to bring closure to the Belnap and Merker families. On behalf of the Curry County Sheriff’s Office, we express our deepest condolences to the Belnap and Merker families. We will continue to do what we can to bring back the last lost family member.
