Mission Report
Mission #
July 22, 2002
Montezuma Area Missing Person Search
Submitted by 1Lt Kim Kirschman
From the July 23, 2002, Des Moines Register:
A man reported missing Monday morning was found dead later that day, the apparent victim of a motorcycle accident.
David Wallace Mathes of Montezuma was last seen late Saturday or early Sunday in Barnes City, according to the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office. He reportedly was riding a motorcycle and was headed home to Montezuma.
A deputy in a Civil Air Patrol plane spotted the wreckage Monday evening south of Montezuma.
Mathes was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accident is under investigation. No other vehicles were involved, authorities said.
The photo below was taken on July 22, 2002, following a missing-person search in the vicinity of Montezuma, Iowa. In addition to the two Des Moines Squadron aircraft shown, mission resources included a Cedar Rapids aircraft, ground teams from Ames, and several area law enforcement ground units. The missing person, who turned out to be the victim of a fatal motorcycle accident, was located from the air by an aircrew consisting of Kim Kirschman, mission pilot (pictured), Richard Helton, scanner, and Lawrence McNaul, Poweshiek County Deputy Sheriff. The photo was taken at the conclusion of the mission when all CAP air and ground crews recovered at Sig Field just south of Montezuma for debriefing.
The victim's motorcycle was spotted in a weedy ditch where the northbound motorcycle had apparently traveled a straight line when the road curved 90 degrees to the left. Sheriff's units had passed the area a number of times without seeing the motorcycle due to the banked curve and chest-high weeds. Captain Jansen, leading one of the CAP ground teams, was, while on foot, directed by the aircrew until he was literally on top of the crashed motorcycle before he gained visual contact. The victim was pinned beneath the motorcycle.
As a note that missions do not always go as planned or expected, CF 1311 and CF 1376 departed their Ankeny base within minutes of each other, with 1311 proceeding directly to the search area while 1376 was directed to land at Oskaloosa. Immediately after landing at OOA, 1311 was directed to proceed to Grinnell to pickup a deputy sheriff. While enroute to Grinnell, it was learned that no required Form 9's (Release for non-Cap persons) were to be found in 1376, so the crew of 1311 agreed to divert to Grinnell to drop off a copy of the form. Also while enroute to Grinnell, the crew of 1376 discovered the Grinnell airport was closed due to construction. Communications with the Grinnell FBO revealed that only the ramp area was actually under construction, so both aircraft landed, completed the necessary business, and departed for the search area. Upon reaching the search area between Barnes City and Montezuma, 1376 orbited just outside the area while 1311 conducted a search, then took over the search when 1311 exited the area and landed south of Montezuma at Sig Field.
1376 flew a search intended to provide a good view of the road rights-of-way in the designated area. Because of high weeds, the victim's motorcycle was visible only from a very small inverted cone of space centered over the cycle. Following the sighting, ground units were directed by radio to the crash site. When a CAP ground crew confirmed the sighting, sheriff's units took over and CAP units withdrew to SIG Field for debriefing. An appreciate sheriff delivered food and drinks to the CAP crews before they departed for home.
Following is a listing of all participating CAP personnel: Eugene Kellogg, Russell Smith, Doug Jansen, Troy Ruffin, Jackie Elliott, Eric Richardson, Erek Wright, Drew Schlosser, Suzanne Tomlinson, Ralph Tomlinson, Roger Elliott, John Halbrook, Kim Kirschman, Richard Helton, Chuck McDonald, Charles Enfield, Terry Koehn, Brandon Hanson, Andrew Ohde, and Brad Smith.