The University of Wyoming Posse Club was activated on the evening of the 10th of October for a mission
in search of the aircraft that went missing in the general vicinity of Laramie Peak. The plane had been on
a flight path from Dodge City, Kansas to Casper, Wyoming before ceasing to transmit any form of radio
signal at approximately 1:45 PM on the October 9th. On the morning of the 11th, 20 members of the Posse
Club, along with Sgt. Shackleford of the UW Army ROTC program, departed for the Laramie Peak trail
head. We were told by Lt. Fritzen of the Sheriff’s office how absurdly rugged the terrain and vegetation
were on the mountain but we weren’t truly able to grasp this until we saw it for ourselves. From the trail,
our visibility was limited to a mere several hundred feet at absolute most. The only way we were going to
see the aircraft was to get high and get eyes down on it.
Fortunately our prior planning with the Sheriff’s office paid off and we already had a plan in place to
accomplish the task. We had decided to take our team of 20 straight up to the summit of the mountain,
working along the trail. From there our plan was to take one group of more experience climbers and work
along the southeast ridge line while the other group worked along the southwest ridge line. We worked
our way up the bowl on the west side of the mountain until we found an appropriate location for a base
camp at approximately 9,000 ft. We quickly set up tents and poncho shelters and were preparing to
continue the hike up the mountain when Scott Chapman spotted light glinting off some metallic object
along the southwest ridge line (on the northwest side of the ridge). I immediately called this in to the
sheriff’s office and then spent the next hour and or so attempting to direct a CAP (Civil Air Patrol) flight
to the exact area we had targeted. While I was in the middle of this, Julia Bailey studied the area and said
she could see green tree tops knocked over around the debris. With this being the 4th plane wreckage on
this mountain, this was very critical information as it meant that this was a recent piece of debris. Jordan
Fischer, a former CAP member and current AF ROTC cadet said the debris looked like a wing or at least
a part of a wing. We didn’t find out until the next morning that his hunch had been correct.
At this point the trail head IC (incident commander) asked if we could get to the debris we were looking
at before dark. I knew it would be close but I told them we’d do our best. From there we split our team
into three groups. I took one group up the trail to try to get on a flat plane with the debris. We hiked to
approximately a half mile away but stopped to coordinate with two CAP senior members that had been
searching all day. At this location we worked with the trail head IC and CAP members to direct an Air
Force Huey to the right area in an attempt to get eyes on the debris from the air. A second team led by
Kyle Wass split off the trail and attempted to hike directly to the site. They were actually able to get
within less than a quarter mile of the site but were prevented from going any further by the diminishing
day light and incredibly rugged terrain. Meanwhile a third group stayed back at our base camp. One of
the members of this group, Julia Bailey, was instrumental in directing the Air Force bird to the exact spot.
The challenge was that with the way there was a gap in the trees, the debris could really only be seen from
one angle. Eventually the Huey found the exact spot and identified the hull of the wreckage on the
southeast part of the ridge (the opposite side of the ridge from the wing we had been seeing.)
With the light quickly fading we headed back to our base camp for the night. The last information that
we received was to stay put in the morning until Sheriff’s deputies could hike to our present location so
we could guide them in to the site. The next morning however we were asked to hike out as they now had
a helicopter they could use to lower workers in. Initially they had 3 Posse members on standby to be
lowered out of the chopper, they then changed this and asked for only myself to go in. I waited on
standby for the next hour or so but they ended up only needing the four initial responders and we stood
down.
I wish I had more to give the folks involved but let me just offer up my heartfelt thanks to all who were
able to help out on the search. I would also like to mention just a few names of those who were especially
instrumental in the operation. David Beach and Tryniti Smith both performed exceptionally, taking care
of everything from call downs to gear checks for the team. Scott Chapman and Kyle Wass performed
exceptionally as team leaders. Scott also gets the credit for the initial spot of the wing. Julia Bailey
performed admirably in the direction of the Huey to the site. Jordan Fischer and Clive Rieke were also
very helpful in both helping to identify the debris and in running the communications for the team. Once
again, thanks to all involved, I hope the next mission has a happier ending, but I know the family
members of the victims offer their sincere thanks for providing them with at least a measure of closure to
the terrible accident.