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2 aboard plane that crashed near Lyman found unharmed

WSDOT found wreckage from the Cessna crash near Lyman. The two men who were aboard were rescued after escaping the crash.

CONCRETE, Wash. — Two men who were aboard a plane that crashed near Lyman, Wash. were found unharmed, and the wreckage was located Monday morning.

The single-engine Cessna 172 airplane left Mears Field Airport in Concrete on Sunday at 2:12 p.m., according to the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office learned at 7:50 p.m. that the airplane did not show up at Kyles Airport in Snohomish as expected.

The plane was last seen by another pilot near Sedro-Woolley, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) aviation emergency services flew a Cessna over the area and tried to locate a signal from the plane on Sunday evening. WSDOT picked up a locator beam around midnight near Lake Cavanaugh.

Wildfire smoke prevented a low-level night search, and the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office's search and rescue team asked for additional resources to help with the search during the day.

The sheriff's office's rescue helicopter flew towards Lake Cavanaugh on Monday at 7:30 a.m. to continue the search.

WSDOT found the helicopter wreckage shortly after, according to the sheriff's office.

The plane's two occupants, who were 78-year-old and 79-year-old brothers, heard the helicopter noise and called "mayday" on their handheld radio at about 8 a.m. 

The men had walked nearly a mile from the crash site along a creek bed to a clearing in the woods, the sheriff's office said. They saw the rescue helicopter overhead and directed it to their location using their radio. The pair blended into the foliage making them difficult to spot from the air, according to WSDOT.

The sheriff's office's rescue helicopter found the men and hoisted them to safety.

Both men were exhausted but didn't appear to have any serious injuries, the sheriff's office said. They were reunited with their families after being medically cleared.

An investigation into what caused the crash is underway. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

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