A Santa Barbara man flying his plane from the South Coast to Mammoth Lakes disappeared in the skies over Yosemite National Park earlier this week.
Nicol Wilson, in his late sixties, was reported missing Monday evening. His plane dropped off the radar above North Dome at around 12:30 p.m., and a sporadic air search has been underway since, delayed at times by bad weather. The forecast for Thursday calls for snow throughout the day.
The North Dome area of the park is closed to land travel for the season, explained media spokesperson Kari Cobb, so four aircraft from the CHP and Civilian Air Patrol — two airplanes and two helicopters — have been dispatched. Cobb, noting Wilson may or may not still be in the park’s jurisdiction, said the last time a plane crashed in Yosemite was approximately 25 years ago.
Wilson was piloting a single-engine Mooney aircraft. He was travelling as its only occupant.