AENEAS VALLEY, WA — October 10, 2026 Jim Merik died after a small aircraft crashed in a remote area of Okanogan County, Washington, while traveling from British Columbia to Idaho. Search-and-rescue crews located the wreckage near Tonasket the following afternoon, on October 11, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
The aircraft, a 1976 Piper Cub, departed Penticton, British Columbia, with Grangeville, Idaho, as its destination. During the flight, the pilot lost communication with Seattle Center air traffic control, prompting concern about the aircraft and its occupants.
The pilot’s daughter subsequently contacted the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office to report them missing. Search personnel began looking for the plane using its last known radar positions and information obtained through cellphone forensics to help identify possible search locations.
At approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 11, authorities discovered the wreckage in Aeneas Valley near Tonasket. Merik and the pilot, identified as 61-year-old Nicholas Grachanin, were found dead inside the aircraft. Their families were notified.
The search involved WSDOT Aviation Emergency Services, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office, Okanogan County Emergency Management, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office air support unit and ground personnel from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.
Officials have not established what caused the aircraft to crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is responsible for investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident.
