MCKINLEYVILLE, Calif. – Coast Guard Group Humboldt Bay suspended the search this morning for the missing aircraft that was scheduled to land at Arcata Airport on Sunday night.
Coast Guard assets, including an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and a 47′ Motor Life Boat, have scoured the area of the aircraft’s last known position. The missing aircraft was last seen on radar approximately one mile northwest of Trinidad Head and was reportedly 100 feet above the ocean on Sunday night. The aircraft type is a DA40 with a tail number of N521DS and was traveling from Bakersfield to Arcata. The aircraft had two people on board, Vladislav Milushev and Rick Gustafson.
A Coast Guard helicopter searched well into Monday night and again this morning. There is no sign of the aircraft.
Units from the Coast Guard searched an area of approximately 240 square miles. The searches concentrated in the area of the aircraft’s last known position. In addition to the Coast Guard assets, ground personnel from the Humboldt County Sherriff’s department also conducted in-depth searches of the shoreline from Clam Beach north to Stone Lagoon.
