SEQUIM — As of Thursday, searchers had found no clues as to the location of a small plane that failed to arrive in Sequim after taking off from Tonasket earlier this week
The Civil Air Patrol on Thursday assigned two additional aircraft to the eight used in the search for the single-engine Glasair, flown by Edward Jeffko, 72, of Tonasket, said a Department of Transportation Aviation Division spokeswoman.
Jeffko took off alone at 6:30 a.m. Monday from the Tonasket Municipal Airport in north-central Washington, but he never arrived in Sequim, where he had been planning to visit family members.
“We’re still continuing the search,” said Nisha Marvel, spokeswoman for Aviation.
Jeffko is the father of James Jeffko, 47, and grandfather of Joe Jeffko, 23, co-owners of Fresh Mix Grill-Mart in Sequim.
Searching in Cascades
The younger Jeffkos closed their deli Wednesday to join in a ground search for Edward and his kit-built plane in the Cascade Mountain Range.
The overall search area includes the most likely routes between Tonasket and Sequim, including a stretch of the Cascade Mountains and areas over Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Marvel said.
Civil Air Patrol aircraft have flown the entire distance between the two airports several times, she said.
Marvel said Jeffko did not file a flight plan, and the plane’s emergency beacon has not been detected.
The Department of Transportation, the Civil Air Patrol and Washington Air Search and Rescue set up a search base at Pangborn Memorial Airport in Wenatchee.
Patrick Plumb, mayor of Tonasket and a good friend of the family, told The Wenatchee World that Jeffko is a veteran pilot.
“He’s been a big asset to the community for years,” Plumb said.
“He’s been a pilot for years and has talked about making trips all over the state.”
Jeffko was a Tonasket councilman in the 1990s and is a current member of the Tonasket Civil Service Board, Economic Development Committee and the Tonasket Municipal Airport Technical Advisory Committee.
________
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
