Wisconsin bike patrol aids search for downed plane

IMBA Trail News
Volume 11, Number 5
November 1998

Around midnight, Aug 12, Steve Davis received a phone call asking for help. A seaplane had gone down on its way to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the family members of its two passengers needed help in the search.

It was believed that the plane either crashed or was forced to make an emergency landing en route.

Davis, the Southern Wisconsin Coordinator of the North Central Mountain Bike Patrol (NCMBP), said yes. Scott Frey, Brian Leininger, and Davis met the Search and Rescue team at the Philips, Wisconsin, airport.

They were given about a 30 square mile area to search between Superior and Green Bay. Dense woods, ATV trails and swamps greeted the NCMBP patrollers.

The next day and a half were spent riding and carrying their bikes through the woods and swamp. Mountain bikers from throughout Wisconsin joined the search during the weekend to cover nearly 50 square miles over five days.

The plane was discovered a week later by a passing plane about two miles west of NCMBP's search area. No survivors were found.

Although they didn't find the plane, Davis commented on how bikes can benefit searches: "Bikes are ideal for SAR operations because they are quick and can travel in tight spaces. Mountain bikers may prove very valuable in this [type of] search because they can reach hard to find areas and can cover more area in a shorter period of time than can volunteers on foot."