Fire and Rescue Chief Tony Pritchett, Press Conference /Sad Ending as Search Confirms No Survivors
News June 1, 2011
***Alert***
Updated 11:15 pm: FYN speaks with Chief Pritchett; he confirms there are no survivors.
At 11:15pm tonight, Gilmer County Fire Chief Tony Pritchett confirmed that no occupants survived the crash. Search efforts by helicopter enabled search personnel to rappel into the site and confirm that there were no survivors of the plane crash. According to Chief Pritchett, ground teams will begin recovery efforts in the morning. Listen below to Gilmer County Fire and Rescue Chief Tony Pritchett’s press conference from 11 PM Wednesday:
Some family members were extremely upset by the premature and unofficial statement issued by 11 Alive news earlier tonight. Chief Pritchett told FYN he was distraught that some media outlets did not wait as requested until all family members had been contacted before announcing the sad news discovered tonight by the search teams.
Fetchyournews.com respectfully observed our local officials’ request to withhold the information until they were able to communicate the news with the family. FYN wishes to extend our sincere condolences to the family and please know our prayers and thoughts are with you at this time.
The first group of search and rescue entered the Rich Mountain Wilderness Area from Rock Creek Church Road.
Chief Tony Pritchett said the media station would be at the parking lot of the Rock Creek Baptist Church. Fox 5 News led the way in disregarding Chief Pritchett’s order and went to the top of the mountain where rescue teams were getting ready to enter the search area. Pritchett warned that if anyone continues to disregard his instructions and proceeds without permission they will be arrested.
Estimates for reaching the site where the plane was located are approximately 10 pm Wednesday. FYN is on the scene and will update as soon as additional information is available.
Update as of 6pm Wednesday- According to information from the Press Conference held at 6pm this evening, the plane has been located in the Rich Mountain Wilderness Area. Gilmer County Fire Chief Tony Pritchett was flown by helicopter to the vicinity of the crash area. Search & Rescue will be able to reach the actual site where the plane is located by approximately 10pm tonight. No other information regarding the crash was able to be confirmed at this time. FYN will update as soon as additional information becomes available.
*Update* as of 5pm Wednesday* FYN received a comment from Major Paige Joyner and Gilmer’s Fire & Rescue Tony Pritchett that there is a very probable find from the search. There is a press conference scheduled at 6pm at Gilmer’s main Fire & Rescue Station located on Simmons Road. FYN will update as soon as any new information becomes available. Today we have been posting from the Civil Air Patrol command center set up at Ellijay Airport to search for the airplane that went missing Monday morning. The small, single-engine aircraft was carrying four when it took off at 10:30 am Monday.
*Update* as of 4:25 pm Wednesday all 6 Civil Air Patrol planes have been summoned back at this time. The Air Force was previously sending Civil Air Patrol planes on rotation of every 30 minute intervals on new searches. The Georgia State Patrol helicopter came in for a 2nd fueling of the day at approximately 4:15pm and is still out searching at this time. There is not a confirmation regarding the finding of a signaling device. Video of the search operation will be posted later today. FYN remains at the media station monitoring the search operation and all updates will be posted as soon as they become available.
This morning Major Paige Joyner, Public Affairs Director of the Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, gave us a quick briefing as the pilots were preparing for the day’s mission. So far, she told us, the CAP has flown 18 sorties, or missions, over 16 “grids”, or specific areas of land that total roughly 800 square miles.
As impressive as 800 square miles sounds, the working search radius is roughly 50 miles, which translates into about 7,850 square miles. Unfortunately, this search area includes many vast, uninhabited areas such as the Cohutta region north of Ellijay:
This morning the four CAP Cessna 182s returned to Ellijay airport from bases around the region. The first took off at 9:23 and the rest are preparing to take off as I write.
The CAP is coordinating with Gilmer County Fire and Rescue, which has a force of about 40 individuals and a dozen ATVs, to conduct ground searches. The CAP has ground crews working as well, responding to air sightings as they are radioed in by the pilots.
At this point, no traces of the missing Beechcraft 35 Bonanza have been found. According to a reliable source, there have been no reported sightings of any downed aircraft.
Authorities have requested that the search be left to the professionals. Officials appreciate the offered help of local volunteers, but wish to focus on the job at hand and have no shortage of manpower.
