Searchers examine crash site

HOPE — Evidence possibly pertaining to the third victim from last week's deadly plane crash on Round Top Mountain was recovered Tuesday, according to Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler.

Wheeler declined to elaborate on the nature of the evidence until it is examined by the Bonner County Coroner's Office.

Three people — Dr. Pam Riddle Bird, Tookie Hensley and her husband Don — were believed to be aboard the Cessna 182 when it crashed into the mountainside on Oct. 8. The suspected remains of Bird and Tookie Hensley, were found in their seats at the front of the plane.

A ground search was conducted by Priest Lake Search & Rescue volunteers and cadaver dogs on Sunday, but Don Hensley remained unaccounted for. Sheriff's investigators returned to the crash site on Tuesday, when the plane wreckage was hoisted from the mountain by an Air-1 Sandpoint Helicopters chopper.

"We didn't find any evidence that he left the plane, but we did find some other evidence that was turned over to the coroner's for examination," Wheeler said on Wednesday.

Wheeler said there will be no further searches for Don Hensley will be conducted by his personnel.

The wreckage is being warehoused so it can be examined by National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation officials. The NTSB is investigating the crash and is expected to post a preliminary accident report in the coming days.

Wheeler, citing NTSB officials, said the final accident report may take over a year to complete.

Wheeler passed along a Bird family request to preserve the plane's tail section for possible display at the Bird Aviation Museum & Invention Center.

The trio reportedly departed the museum and intended to fly to Bar Harbor, Maine, and Jacksonville, Fla. The plane was last heard from at 8:26 a.m. It was traveling 71 feet above the ground at a speed of about 54 mph, according to sheriff's and Civil Air Patrol officials.

An impact-triggered emergency locator beacon was activated and used to locate the crash scene. Bird is believed to have been at the controls when the plane crashed, sheriff's officials have said.

Bird is the widow of Dr. Forrest Morton Bird, a celebrated aviator and inventor. Forrest Bird died on Aug. 3 at the age of 94. Pam Bird was also an accomplished aviator and inventor, in addition to being an author.

The death of the Birds and Hensleys has generated international media interest due to the couples' stature in the aviation community, according to Wheeler.

There has also been an outpouring of assistance from pilots and members of the public. A dozen or so volunteers showed up on the mountain on foot and all-terrain vehicles in the search for Don Hensley, which Wheeler said was emblematic of the local community.

"We have a lot of giving people that want to reach out and help," Wheeler said.