An international team has now been searching for the crash site of a missionary pilot in Venezuela for the past three years. The Klamath County Sheriff was recently called in to assist with that search effort.
Sheriff Tim Evinger briefed the county commissioners Wednesday on his recent trip to Venezuela. Evinger took part in a search and rescue effort for Bob Norton, a pilot who crashed during a storm in a remote area of Southern Venezuela in February of 2009.
Evinger notes that Norton and six passengers were lost in the crash…
“I have a group called ‘Missing Aircraft Search Team’, and I was contacted by Bob Norton’s best friend, who said ‘I need your help as a search and rescue expert, and somebody who finds missing airplanes as a hobby.”
Challenges included language barriers, cultural differences, and difficult terrain. Over eight days of interviews, Evinger believes he helped the team get much closer to finding the wreckage…
“The aircraft is not found, but we’ve made a lot of headway in reducing the search size area, and we have a good idea of the area it is actually in.”
The search effort is funded solely through private donations – and Evinger says that he hasn’t given up the search…
“I certainly enjoy a good mystery, and this is one of those puzzles, and looking for that missing piece to put it together – and I’ll never say never about going back to Venezuela.”
You can find out more about Bob Norton, and the ongoing search online at: www.findingbobnorton.org
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