Mountain Ranch, CA…On June 10, 2017 the Calaveras Sheriff’s Office was notified by the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office about a missing or overdue aircraft. It was reported that 75 year old Leroy Del Don Jr had departed an airstrip in Stanislaus County (Wesley, Ca.) on Friday, June 9th around 2:00 pm and had not made it to his destination of Columbia Airport.

A Radar track of the aircraft indicates that the plane may have been descending over a rural part of Calaveras County near Mountain Ranch before disappearing from radar.

A search for Mr. Del Don who has been reported as an experienced Pilot is ongoing. Search and rescue teams from the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office, Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, and Amador County Sheriff’s Office, as well as aircraft from the California Highway Patrol and Civil Air Patrol have been extensively searching the area.

The plane is reported to be a 1967 Beechcraft Baron, which is a twin engine propeller driven plane. It is beige in color with brown and orange striping and the tail numbers N3717A . If you heard or saw this plane or a similar plane during the afternoon of Friday June 9th, please contact the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office at 209-754-6500 and speak with dispatch. Again, the aircraft appears to have traveled over Columbia Airport and through Calaveras County before disappearing west of Mountain Ranch.

Please see photos below of the actual plane.