Found Deceased MN - Denny Pechacek, flying ultralight plane, last sighting in area of Hammer Rd, Hovland, 18 Aug 2023

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Cook County Sheriff's Office & Public Safety:

Missing... - Cook County Sheriff's Office & Public Safety

Missing Person – Denny Pechacek/Ultralight Aircraft August 19, 2023 - On Friday evening the Cook County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a missing...

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Missing Person – Denny Pechacek/Ultralight Aircraft

August 19, 2023 - On Friday evening the Cook County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a missing person in the Hovland area. A man was flying an ultralight plane and took off from approximately 30 Flutereed Rd. Cook County Search and Rescue was called out, along with Hovland Fire to begin searching for the pilot who did not return.

A fixed wing aircraft from the Minnesota State Patrol was utilized to begin an air search of the area. The last sighting of the pilot and the ultralight was in the area of Hammer Road in Hovland.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who may have seen the aircraft to please call and give an approximate location and time to provide better details to the search teams.

No other information is available currently and if you have information, please call the Sheriff’s Office at 218-387-3030.
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Contact: Sheriff Pat Eliasen, 218-387-3030 or [email protected]

Search and rescue efforts underway in Hovland area for missing ultralight aircraft pilot | WTIP

At approximately 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 18, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a missing ultralight aircraft pilot who did not return after an evening flight in the Hovland area, east of Grand Marais. The missing pilot, Denny Pechacek, took to the air at approximately 6:30...

wtip.org

At approximately 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 18, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a missing ultralight aircraft pilot who did not return after an evening flight in the Hovland area, east of Grand Marais.

The missing pilot, Denny Pechacek, took to the air at approximately 6:30 p.m. near 30 Flute Reed Rd. He was expected to return around 7:15 p.m. Pechacek is a certified paraglider and has over two decades of paragliding and ultralight aircraft experience.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Cook County Search & Rescue, the Hovland Fire Department, and Minnesota State Patrol responded to the call and are assisting with the search and rescue efforts.

In addition to ground search efforts, the Minnesota State Patrol utilized a fixed-wing aircraft to begin an air search of the area. According to the authorities, the last sighting of the pilot and the ultralight aircraft with a blue parachute was in the area of Hammer Road in Hovland.

As of 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 19, authorities do not have any updates to share and Pechacek has yet to be found. Search and rescue efforts will commence again the morning of August 20.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who may have seen the aircraft to please call and give an approximate location and time to provide better details to the search teams.

Contact the Sheriff’s Office at 218-387-3030

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

 

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This is an article about him from August 2020.

That Hovland man and his flying machine

HOVLAND—Denny Pechacek of Hovland has always wanted to fly like a bird. He became a certified paraglider 22 years ago in the Czech Republic. He has also gone paragliding in the American West. Unfortunately, the heavily forested North Shore landscape doesn’t lend itself to paragliding, so he...

northernwilds.com

 

[GraceG]

The article above is a bit misleading as it talks of him flying a 2 seat ultralight with a paraglider certificate from a foreign country. A true ultralight doesn't require a pilot's license, but a two-seat ultralight is considered an aircraft and requires a U.S. pilot's license to fly. USPAA has a good synopsis here, and the regulations are at FAR Part 103. Pilot's certification is publically available (though the address may be redacted on request) at www.faa.gov. Denny has no pilot certificate, nor is he a student pilot. FAR Part 103 – Ultralight Vehicles I hope he is found safely, but I have some concerns based on my own experience in aviation (30+ year instructor and airline pilot)

 

[swanniee11]

His FB Zdenek Pechacek

 

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VOLUNTEERS... - Cook County Sheriff's Office & Public Safety

VOLUNTEERS The Cook County Sheriff is requesting volunteers to assist with the ground search for Denny Pechacek, who has been missing since Friday,...

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August 20, 2023

VOLUNTEERS

The Cook County Sheriff is requesting volunteers to assist with the ground search for Denny Pechacek, who has been missing since Friday, August 18 in Hovland, MN.

Interested volunteers must be physically able and prepared for foot travel in rugged, brushy terrain and able to commit for a day. Field assignments may be up to 2 hours between rest periods.

Volunteers must be prepared with proper clothing (including reflective clothing/vest) and footwear. Volunteers should be familiar with map and compass use, and preferably GPS. Volunteers should bring water, snacks, and lunch.

Volunteers will report to the Hovland Fire Hall (5049 East Highway 61) at 0800 hours, Monday, August 21.

Interested persons must pre-register with Search Command by calling 218-370-9711 before 2200 hours, Sunday night, August 20.

 

[cenazoic]

Searching again tomorrow (Tuesday, 22 August).

https://www.facebook.com/100064689516578/posts/683638493802462

 

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'People in the community want him found' as search continues for missing Hovland man | WTIP

Cook County Sheriff Deputy Will Sandstrom was direct in his assessment of the dozens of volunteers who spent Monday combing the rugged terrain and dense forests near Hovland. “People in the community want him found,” he said. The “he” Sandstrom referred to is Denny Pechacek, a Cook County...

wtip.org

Cook County Sheriff Deputy Will Sandstrom was direct in his assessment of the dozens of volunteers who spent Monday combing the rugged terrain and dense forests near Hovland.

“People in the community want him found,” he said.

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As of Monday afternoon, authorities said Pechacek has yet to be found. Search and rescue efforts will continue Tuesday and for the foreseeable future, Sandstrom told WTIP Monday afternoon at the Hovland Fire Hall.

More at the link
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WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs visited the incident command center Monday for the search and rescue operation at the Hovland Fire Hall. He spoke with Sandstrom outside the fire hall. Listen to the discussion in the audio shared below.

Link to the interview is at the end of the article.

 

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Body of missing Cook County resident found in Lake Superior | WTIP

The body of a missing Cook County resident has been recovered after nearly a week of extensive searching.

The body of Denny Pechacek was recovered Thursday morning from Lake Superior, just west of Horseshoe Bay near Hovland. Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen confirmed with WTIP that Pechacek was found in the water in Lake Superior at approximately 11 a.m. Thursday. His body was found in approximately 44 ft. of water, according to officials involved with the search and who recovered the body from the bottom of Lake Superior.

Last Friday, Pechacek took to the air in a homemade aircraft at approximately 6:30 p.m. near 30 Flute Reed Road in the Hovland area, which is located about 20 miles from Grand Marais. The aircraft was not found Thursday morning, according to officials involved with the recovery of Pechacek’s body Thursday morning who spoke with WTIP.

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