Authorities believe an airplane pilot last seen taking off from a Camas-area airport has been found dead, in an apparent plane crash on Mount Hood.
George Regis, 63, of Battle Ground, was last seen around noon on Friday, Jan. 25, at Grove Field, three miles north of Camas.
This evening, Hood River, Oregon, authorities reported they had found a downed plane on Mount Hood, with the sole occupant confirmed dead. Authorities said the tail number of the crashed plane matched Regis’ four-seat, single engine aircraft.
Regis’ wife reported him missing on Monday, Jan. 28. He was believed to be heading to Arizona, but the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office found new information regarding Regis’ flight path and informed the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday.
Civil Air Patrol (CAP) located a signal from the plane’s emergency locator and narrowed its location to Eliot Glacier on Mount Hood’s north side. A CAP pilot visually confirmed the wreckage Tuesday afternoon. An Oregon Air National Guard helicopter crew also was able to confirm the plane’s tail number and the presence of a deceased person believed to be Regis.
Teams are set to recover the body on Wednesday, Jan. 30.