Small Plane Wreckage Found In California After Plane Reported Missing

DUNSMUIR (AP) - A wreckage found on a ridge in far Northern California on Friday is that of a small plane that requested an emergency landing but never arrived at its expected destination, authorities said.

Someone spotted the black Cessna 150 near Dunsmuir, about 45 miles north of Redding, and was able to confirm it was the missing plane after seeing its tail number, Siskiyou County Sheriff's spokeswoman Kelly Giordano said.

The pilot has not been located, the Siskiyou Daily News reported.

William Bushling was believed to be the only person on board the plane that had departed from Ashland, Oregon on Wednesday and was likely headed to his hometown of Orland, about 100 miles north of Sacramento.

The Trinity County Sheriff's office in northwestern California received a request for an emergency landing from him Wednesday night, but the plane never arrived.

The last ping from Bushling's cell phone was near Dunsmuir, authorities said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the cause of the crash.

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