Two Men Found Dead in Wreckage of Plane

The bodies of two Coachella Valley men were found Monday in the wreckage of a small private airplane in a remote canyon less than five miles southwest of the Palm Springs airport, authorities said.

Gerald Miller, who owns a construction company, and Timothy Jessup, 37, a car dealership general manager, had planned a day trip to the beach and were en route to John Wayne Airport in Orange County Sunday morning, said Sgt. John Booth, spokesman for the Palm Springs Police Department.

It was unclear who was piloting the single-engine Cessna 182 aircraft that left Palm Springs International Airport at 8:20 a.m., said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Donn Walker.

When the plane did not arrive by Sunday afternoon, family members notified police, who began searching for the plane.

The pilot called air traffic control for a weather briefing shortly before takeoff, Walker said. The last communication airport officials had with the pilot was a routine exchange when the plane was half a mile west of the airport, Walker said. No distress call was recorded. The weather Sunday was warm, with clear skies, authorities said.

Search and rescue volunteers found the wreckage a little after noon Monday, Booth said. Searchers landed a helicopter in the canyon and hiked to the crash scene. They confirmed both passengers were dead, Booth said.

Authorities did not know what caused the crash, but Booth said it appeared the plane hit the top of a ridge near Tahquitz Canyon.

Authorities will return to the area this morning to extract the bodies.