Cellphone, iPad Lead Rescuers to Downed Cessna 150

The airplane’s two passengers—a 58-year-old man and his 13-year-old daughter—were found in a wooded area southeast of Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport (KAVP) in Avoca, Pennsylvania, the FAA told FLYING.

As of Tuesday morning, officials had not released their identities.

The pair had departed the airport and were en route in the single-engine aircraft to Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport (KMPO) in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, the FAA says.

The aircraft went missing from radar “after a rapid descent,” according to Pennsylvania State Police (PSP).

By 7:30 p.m., the aircraft was reported missing and the FAA issued an alert notice (ALNOT) to notify public safety agencies. The pair were located shortly after 2 a.m. Monday morning, the FAA says.

The pilot and his daughter “were found to be alive and suffering from injuries while in a pre-hypothermic state,” PSP says. “Both were extricated from the wooded area and relinquished to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Staff.”

The cause of the crash is unknown, according to the November 15 incident report.

Rescuers located the pair after tracking the pilot’s cellphone and the girl’s iPad, a PSP official states.

“With the help of the United States Air Force, they were able to track a better location using several pings. Actually using the cellphone of the pilot and the daughter’s iPad. And the iPad actually led us right to the crash site,” says Sgt. John G. Richards, Pennsylvania State Police, according to local TV station WBRE.

The 1967 Cessna, registered under N6714S, is owned by the Pocono Mountains Flying Club, according to the FAA.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation into the incident.