Two die in plane crash

NACHES -- A man and woman are confirmed dead in the wreckage of a small plane that crashed in rugged wilderness about 10 miles south of Easton, authorities said. They were believed to be the only ones on board.

 Yakima County Coroner Maury Rice has been called to remove the bodies. More details on the victims were not immediately available.

According to a database of aircraft tail numbers, the single-engine Lancair ES was registered to a Lafayette, Colo., man.

The experimental-type plane was en route to Idaho from Alaska, according to state aviation authorities, but reports from the scene indicated the flight may have been headed between Puget Sound and Yakima.

The wreckage, including a teddy bear, was found in rugged terrain off Forest Service Road 1905 in the Little Naches River drainage.

Several parts of the aircraft were concentrated on the steepest part of the hillside, with other parts strewn throughout the area.

The plane fell off of Seattle radar about 3 p.m. Somebody in the area reported hearing a possible crash, prompting searchers from both Yakima and Kittitas counties to head to the area, about 10 miles south of Easton. The scene turned out to be in Kittitas County, authorities said. 

Click here to see a past photo of this aircraft, tail number N45EL.

-- Mark Morey