The search for a small plane that disappeared on the evening of October 10 in northeastern Washington ended tragically: on Sunday, rescuers found the wreckage of a 1976 Piper Cub in the Enias Valley near Tonasket. The pilot, 61-year-old Nicholas Grachanin, and his passenger, Jim Merik, were found dead inside the aircraft. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined; it will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The plane departed Penticton, British Columbia, on Saturday, October 10, bound for Grangeville, Idaho. The route crosses sparsely populated areas of northeastern Washington, where valleys, forested slopes and high ground can quickly hide a light aircraft from view on the ground. At some point, the pilot lost contact with Seattle Center air traffic control, after which Grachanin’s daughter contacted the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office and reported that the plane and the people aboard had not arrived at their destination.
Rescuers initially focused on the area between Oroville and Okanogan, using the latest radar data as a guide. Teams from the Washington State Department of Transportation, or WSDOT, also analyzed mobile-phone data to narrow the search area. No distress signal was received overnight, but weather conditions allowed aerial operations to continue on Sunday: planes and helicopters searched the area while ground teams prepared to investigate possible leads.
The operation involved the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office, the county emergency management department, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s aviation unit, WSDOT personnel and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Assistance from local agencies proved essential in searching an area where roads are scarce and distances between small communities are measured not in city blocks, but in tens of miles.
The wreckage was found at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday, October 11, in the Enias Valley near Tonasket. Both men were inside the aircraft, and their families were notified. At that point, WSDOT’s aerial search-and-rescue mission was concluded. Officials did not disclose the nature of the aircraft’s damage or what may have caused the crash, and they did not link the incident to the weather, the aircraft’s condition or the pilot’s actions.
For Washington, searches like this are not merely emergency assistance but a responsibility established by law for the state transportation agency. WSDOT coordinates aerial search-and-rescue operations throughout the state, bringing together resources from volunteer groups, law enforcement, the military and local authorities. Once an aircraft is found on the ground, further work at the scene falls under the jurisdiction of the local law-enforcement agency, while the investigation into the cause of an aviation accident generally becomes the responsibility of federal specialists.
The story of the flight from Penticton to Grangeville will now move from the search phase into a longer, quieter phase of investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to examine the aircraft, the route, communications data and the circumstances of the final portion of the flight. The central question—why the Piper Cub failed to reach Idaho—remains unanswered.
Based on: Search on for missing plane near Okanogan