Plane Disappeared During August 24 Storm

A sad end to the monthlong search for a missing Minnesota pilot who disappeared shortly after departing from Bismarck, ND in August... as search crews recovered the body of Bob Nelson, and the wreckage of his Piper Cherokee, on Tuesday.

The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports the wreckage of Nelson's plane was discovered by two US Fish and Wildlife Service officials along the shore of a pond near Kulm, ND late Tuesday.

Nelson disappeared August 24, after departing from Bismarck Municipal Airport (KBIS) during a storm. Authorities say Nelson was en route to either Fargo, ND, or Fergus Falls, MN, where he had a hangar.

Logan County Sheriff Steve Engelhardt told the newspaper some wreckage had been recovered late Tuesday, but most of the airplane remained under water. A wingtip was visible just beneath the water's surface.

"We'll be working to get the wreckage out of the water (Wednesday)," he said.

Volunteers had searched lakes and sloughs -- stagnant ponds -- in the area with sonar-equipped air boats in the past few days, after Civil Air Patrol pilots covered 15,000 square miles over two weeks but found no sign of the missing pilot.

The volunteers selected the search area based on radar information, and reports from witnesses who either heard or saw a plane in the area.

FAA investigators were heading to the scene, according to Englehardt.

FMI: www.fws.gov