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Contact: Sintia Kawasaki-Yee, (559) 679-2866
SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, California September 5, 2020 – Early this morning Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks dispatch center received a report from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) of an overdue fixed-wing single-engine aircraft. It was said to depart from Visalia Airport in California on Friday, September 4 at 11 a.m. and due at Needles Airport in San Bernardino County at 1 p.m. Radar tapes showed last location to be near the Upper Horse Creek drainage in Mineral King wilderness.
The parks’ helitack team was briefed early this morning and was able to locate the aircraft crash site by air shortly after 8 a.m. At this time there have been two confirmed fatalities who have not been identified. A small fire approximately one-half acre in size associated with the crash is being contained by park personnel.
The investigation is ongoing and no other information is available at this time.
Members of the media are advised that the crash site is located in a remote wilderness location and is not accessible by vehicle. It is also in the vicinity of the SQF fire complex in an area impacted by smoke. No in-person briefings will be made.
The investigation is under the jurisdiction of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and all media inquiries should be made by phone or email to Peter Knudson at 202-314-6219 or peter.knudson@ntsb.gov.
-NPS-
About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
These two parks, which lie side by side in the southern Sierra Nevada in Central California, preserve prime examples of nature’s size, beauty, and diversity. Nearly 2 million visitors from across the U.S. and the world visit these parks to see the world’s largest trees (by volume), grand mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, the highest point in the lower 48 states, and more. Learn more at http://www.nps.gov/seki.
These two parks, which lie side by side in the southern Sierra Nevada in Central California, preserve prime examples of nature’s size, beauty, and diversity. Nearly 2 million visitors from across the U.S. and the world visit these parks to see the world’s largest trees (by volume), grand mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, the highest point in the lower 48 states, and more. Learn more at http://www.nps.gov/seki.
Last updated: September 6, 2020