Colville Pilot’s Plane Lost in 2019 Crash Located in Sullivan Lake

Kirk Neumann and a volunteer search team discovered a Cessna 182 Skylane resting on the lake bottom north of Metaline Falls on Nov. 11. The following day, officials confirmed the aircraft to be the same plane Coleman was piloting when he disappeared on Nov. 13, 2019. Coleman was the sole occupant of the aircraft and was confirmed deceased after his body was located on the lake, according to law enforcement.

After confirming the discovery of the plane, Neumann said he notified Coleman’s daughter, the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office in Newport, and the Federal Aviation Administration in Spokane, which then referred the matter to its Seattle office.

Pend Oreille County Sheriff Glenn Blakeslee said the discovery is an important development for the family and the community.

Authorities said when Coleman went missing six years ago, his general flight path had no indication of trouble. There was no radio distress call and no activation detected from the aircraft’s emergency locator beacon. According to law enforcement, search crews combed the terrain and waterways in the days following the disappearance; Coleman’s body was ultimately recovered from Sullivan Lake on Nov. 16, 2019, but the aircraft itself was never found.

Neumann said he has followed the case closely since the beginning and felt a personal motivation to continue searching.

Using a drop camera system, Neumann said he and his team were able to identify the aircraft at a depth of approximately 270 feet. The plane was found sitting upright on its landing gear. While the camera system has limitations at such depths, Neumann said the team is confident the aircraft is Coleman’s, as there are several indicators on the plane that match the Colville man’s aircraft.

Attention is now turning to what comes next. Officials said the plane is believed to be largely intact, and its recovery would require coordination among multiple agencies with jurisdiction over the lake and surrounding lands. According to officials, the logistics of a salvage operation are complex and still under review, but the discovery itself marks a significant moment for Coleman’s family and the Colville-area community that has waited years for answers.