Body found in plane wreckage near Grand Canyon’s north rim

Monday, April 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

GRAND CANYON NATION PARK, Ariz. -- After more than three days of searching, the Park Service found the wreckage of a small plane Sunday off the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

After spotting the plane from the air, rescuers had to hike on snowshoes to the heavily forested site, and were only able to find one of two bodies believed to be aboard the Cessna 210.

They tentatively identified 55-year-old James Eldredge, whom officials believe was with his 53-year-old wife, Darla, in the plane when it radioed it was in trouble Wednesday.

The couple's primary residence is in Salt Lake City, but they have a second home in Las Vegas, said Maureen Oltrogge, a National Park Service information officer.

The plane, traveling to Las Vegas from Wichita, Kan., stopped in Las Vegas, N.M., on Wednesday. It radioed Los Angeles that there was trouble, and the National Park Service was alerted that the plane had disappeared from radar while above the Grand Canyon.

Poor weather, including more than three feet of snow and heavy clouds, grounded the search on and off. By Sunday, more than 100 people from state, federal and local agencies were involved in the search, which was centered about seven miles north of the canyon's north rim.

Park Service officials say extensive damage to the plane's fuselage may interfere with evidence critical to determining the cause of the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board was due to arrive today to investigate.

Oltrogge said rescuers "have every reason to believe Mrs. Eldredge is still inside the wreckage" and expected to get her body out today once officials with the Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB arrive.

"Because of the ice and snow that's covering the wreckage, it's been very difficult to get to the passenger side," Oltrogge said. "We were afraid of destroying evidence."