Wreck of small jet found in Cascades

EASTON, Wash. – The wreckage of a small jet, missing since last October with two California men on board, has been found in the Cascade mountains near here.

Pieces of the 40-foot-long aircraft were discovered recently by hikers in a heavily wooded area, Kittitas County Undersheriff Clay Myers said. The hikers told a friend, who saw a photo of the missing plane and called the sheriff’s office Saturday.

The pilot was identified earlier as Rocky Stewart, 45, of Hollister, Calif., and his passenger was Scott Smith, 46, of San Francisco. Myers said some remains and personal effects were found.

The Czechoslovakian-made L-39 training jet disappeared Oct. 19 after the pilot reported an apparent mechanical problem as the aircraft was flying from Seattle’s Boeing Field to Lewiston, Idaho.