Air Force locates missing plane's wreckage

The wreckage of a plane that went missing April 24 was discovered Friday afternoon northeast of Mammoth Lakes in Mono County.

A U.S. Air Force Pavehawk helicopter crew from Nellis AFB located and verified an aircraft debris field approximately 10-12 miles northeast of Mammoth Lakes on the east side of Highway 395 at 2:20 p.m. The debris was consequently confirmed as the aircraft that had been reported overdue on April 24.

Allan Raymond Melendy, 67, and Mary Elizabeth Hayden, 63, both of Canon City, Colo. were aboard the plane when it crashed, according to the Mono County Sheriff's Office. The cause and manner of this crash is currently under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive in Mono County today to start investigating the cause of the crash.

The small aircraft had been en route from Tonopah to Modesto, Calif., when it was reported missing by the Air Force Rescue Coordinator Center.

A full scale search was initiated early April 25 in southern Mono County. The search efforts were comprised of the Mono County Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue Team, California Emergency Management Agency and the Civil Air Patrol (California & Nevada).