http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/09/plane.crash/index.htmlOfficials say they doubt anyone survived plane crashStory Highlights
NEW: Sheriff: Evidence suggests plane hit ground at about 70 mph
Officials say they don't think anyone survived plane crash
Seven bodies found; three people still listed as missing
Single-engine aircraft carrying 10 people fell off radar Sunday night
Next Article in U.S. »
Read VIDEO MAP
YAKIMA, Washington (CNN) -- Three people remained unaccounted for Tuesday after the crash of a plane carrying a group of skydivers, but officials offered little hope they'd be found alive.
Relatives of Casey Craig show photos of skydivers Tuesday. Craig died in the crash.
"We had searchers in the area all last night and overnight and this morning protecting the scene and searching the area for survivors -- and there are none," Yakima County Sheriff Ken Irwin told reporters Tuesday.
Searchers returned to the wreckage of the small plane in the rugged mountains of Washington state to search for the remains of those on board and to document the scene.
At least seven bodies were discovered Monday night. The plane had been carrying nine skydivers and a pilot.
Searchers located the front part of the plane Monday night, but the back section had not been found as Tuesday's search got under way.
Irwin said the crash site was fairly small -- about 100 feet by 60 feet. "From that you can ascertain that it probably went in just about straight down; it wasn't at much of an angle," he said.
The sheriff said evidence suggested the plane hit the ground at about 70 mph.
Relatives of some of the skydivers appeared at Tuesday's news conference and stressed what a tightknit group they were.
"The people in the plane weren't just my friends; they were all my family," said Kelly Craig, whose brother, Casey, died in the crash.
Addressing search and rescue teams, he added, "We love you guys. Thanks for coming out and helping." Watch the Craig family talk about the loss of Casey »
Ivy Craig Green described her brother: "He was crazy, he was fun, he loved animals, he loved to build things, he loved his friends, and he loved to skydive."
The Craigs said the deaths of Casey and his friends had nothing to do with skydiving.
The wreckage was in an area with steep terrain among heavy timber and brush, just 200 yards from where the last radar signal from the plane was detected, Yakima County Sheriff's Deputy Dan Cypher said Monday night.
The plane, a single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan, fell off radar at 8 p.m. (11 p.m. ET) Sunday, about a half-hour after taking off from Boise, Idaho, bound for Shelton, Washington, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. See where the plane was found »
Ground and air rescue teams had been searching rugged terrain in Washington. The wreckage was found in the immediate area of the search focus, Cypher said.
"The teams did smell fuel and followed the odor and came across the wreckage," he said.
Weather conditions were good for the flight, officials said. The National Transportation Safety Board planned to begin an investigation Tuesday, the sheriff said.
A camper reported seeing a low-flying plane Sunday evening and then hearing a crash, Nisha Marvel of the Washington State Department of Transportation said.
The air search, which began early Monday, included two volunteer planes and two helicopters, Marvel said. About 50 people took part. The search area was southwest of Rimrock Lake, which is south of Mount Rainier, Yakima County Search and Rescue said.
The plane was equipped with an emergency locator transmitter, according to Geoff Farrington of Kapowsin Air Sports, which owns the plane.
The nine skydivers aboard the plane regularly participated in jumps with Skydive Snohomish in Snohomish, Washington, said Elaine Harvey, a spokeswoman for the company.
She said the group had flown into Boise for a skydiving event about 15 miles away in Star, Idaho.
"We are a very close-knit community," she said. "This is devastating." E-mail to a friend
CNN's Kathleen Koch contributed to this report.
Now I am not making light of this because it is a tragedy but I have one question.. Why did they not jump?? I am thinking because they did not have time or the terrain.. I have been researching this all day because it is driving me nuts...
