Utah pilot's remains found in wreckage in south-central Idaho

Officials don't know why it took about 24 hours for a Utah pilot to be reported missing this week after his plane crashed in the remote desert of Elmore County east of Glenns Ferry.

The small plane that left Caldwell Sunday night and went missing while en route to the Salt Lake City area was found Tuesday morning.

The pilot died in the crash; there were no passengers.

Officials had not released the name of the pilot Tuesday night, but crews from ABC 4 in Salt Lake City spoke with the family of the owner of the downed plane Tuesday. The family confirmed that Craig Jewett was flying the plane when it crashed, said ABC-4 assignment editor John Gleason.

Mel Coulter, spokesman for the Idaho Transportation Department, said ITD's Division of Aeronautics was notified about the missing plane sometime after 10 p.m. Monday. The plane left the Caldwell airport between 7 and 8 p.m. Sunday.

Coulter said the plane was piloted by a Centerville, Utah, man who had flown to Caldwell with a friend in another small plane. The two men started flying back to Utah together Sunday night.

After the pilot of the second plane noticed the first plane was missing, he turned back but didn't find it when he flew back to Caldwell, Coulter said.

"Why it took so long for the plane to be reported as overdue is a good question," Coulter said.

Elmore County Chief Deputy Nick Schilz said the red-and-white Piper PA-24-260 Comanche was found upside down and in several pieces, Schilz said.

Early Tuesday, officials in Owyhee, Twin Falls and Elmore counties looked for the plane along the borders of the three counties.

Twin Falls County Search & Rescue members, who were searching on four-wheelers, found the plane shortly before 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, said Twin Falls County sheriff's Sgt. Dan Thom.

Thom said the plane was found within 600 yards of its last coordinates recorded by radar. It was found in the rolling desert off Flint Mesa Road, according to Federal Aviation Administration and Elmore County officials.

The plane's last coordinates were found when officials reviewed a tape of radar recordings from Sunday night, the FAA's Northwest spokesman, Mike Fergus, said.

The plane was not being tracked on radar because it was flying under visual flight rules, but its movements were recorded with other planes flying last night, Fergus said.

A flight plan is not required for planes flying under visual flight rules.

Thom said local investigators would not touch the crash site until FAA officials had arrived. They were still on their way at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The FAA registry shows that the plane that crashed was registered to Karl Neilson of Caldwell, but Nielsen was not on the plane.

Caldwell Airport manager Curt Hawkins said Neilson told him that the plane had been sold recently to Jewett.

Katy Moeller: 377-6413