Pilot, plane reported missing in Northern California – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News

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Pilot, plane reported missing in Northern California By Mail Tribune staff Updated: Oct 22, 2021 09:01 AM A A The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office is searching for pilot William Bushling and this 1972 Cessna airplane with tail number N5268Q after the aircraft called in an emergency landing Wednesday. The aircraft departed the Ashland airport Wednesday night. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a pilot and small aircraft that flew out of the Ashland airport Wednesday night but never touched down after the pilot called for an emergency landing. Pilot William Bushling and the black 1972 Cessna he was flying never reached his destination in Trinity County, California, after calling in an emergency landing about 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to an alert put out by the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Thursday. Bushling’s cellphone at the time pinged in an area outside Dunsmuir, California, northeast of Dunsmuir and south of the intersection of Highway 89 and Interstate 5. “There are many federal, state and local agencies working to locate the pilot and his plane,” the post states. “It is still unclear if the plane had to perform an emergency landing somewhere or if the plane and pilot are safe and sound and just unable to call in.” The sheriff’s office searched air hangars and airports in the area for the black Cessna with tail number N5268Q, and search-and-rescue teams are canvasing the area where Bushling’s phone pinged. The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who may have spotted a low-flying aircraft Oct. 20 near the intersection to contact its nonemergency number at 530-841-2900.