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Nov 18, 2009 5:56 pm US/Central
Body Of Missing Pilot Found In Plane Wreckage
MAHNOMEN, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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Andrew Lindberg was flying from Lakeville to Hallock Friday to go deer hunting when his Piper Cherokee disappeared.
Kate Lindberg
Clearwater County officials say the body of a missing pilot has been found in the wreckage of a small plane near Mahnomen.
Searchers reached the wreckage in a remote, wooded location Wednesday. County attorney and spokeswoman Jeanine Brand said the body of pilot Andrew Lindberg was found inside the plane. Brand said Lindberg's family has gathered at the scene, about 20 miles south of Mahnomen.
A pilot thought he spotted the tail end of a plane just a few minutes after taking off from the Mahnomen County Airport Tuesday night about dusk.
He circled back around to be sure and after realizing it was a tail end, he contacted police.
That tail end was sticking up out of a wooded area near the Mahnomen, Becker and Clearwater county lines in the White Earth State Forest.
The plane went nose first into the area. Six law enforcement agencies were involved in the search Wednesday morning. They located the plane and one body inside it.
As of 11:30 a.m., crews were still trying to extricate the body.
"We do believe it's Mr. Lindberg," Brand said.
Search crews have been having a hard time getting to the wreckage, because it's in a wooded area.
There is an ambulance at the scene, but Brand said that most everyone has to walk a trail to the scene, because they can't bring in vehicles or even ATVs.
Lindberg's uncle, Rev. Bob Griggs, said Lindberg's wife, co-workers from the Twin Cities and several college friends are gathered at the scene. The area is like a thick forest and there are several lakes in the area, Griggs said.
Search crews have carved out a road in the area so the medical examiner can get to the scene, he said. There is a positive identification on the body and an autopsy will be done soon.
"Lot of thanks from family for volunteers, sheriff's deputies and several others who helped," Griggs said. "I mean, it's tragedy ... the human side is, people have done all they can."
His nephew, Griggs said, was an incredible 32 year old who loved his career and chased life. He married just six weeks ago and loved to travel, hunt and fish.
"We're struggling," he said. "Anyone who's lost a child or a spouse, a brother, a niece, nephew, it's horrible. It's horrible. But we're together, people are being as kind and professional as they can be around us. We're people of faith. We look towards the future. We find comfort thinking Andrew's safe and warm with God and we will do this step-by-step as we move ahead. We're going to stay close and look after everybody."
Griggs added that he and his family got the news last night that a plane and wreckage were spotted.
The family finds comfort, he said, in the fact that Lindberg was doing what he loved when he crashed.
"He was living his life," Griggs said. "This was Andrew. Whether it was his work, hunting or fishing, he lived life. He was doing exactly what he chose to do."
Brand said it will be up to the National Transportation Safety Board to figure out why the plane crashed.
A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday at the courthouse in Bagley, Minn.
Lindberg was flying from Lakeville to Hallock Friday to go deer hunting when his Piper Cherokee disappeared.
The Civil Air Patrol has helped search by air and ground during the past several days.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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