Body of missing North Shore pilot recovered, sheriff says
Denny Pechacek (Courtesy of Abbey Johnson)
Authorities say the body of a northern Minnesota pilot who had been missing since last week has been located.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that Denny Pechacek’s boy was recovered from Lake Superior off the shore of Hovland.
RELATED: North Shore ultralight pilot still missing; search continues
Crews from several agencies had conducted ground, air and water searches since he went missing while flying his ultralight aircraft on Friday.
Thursday morning, the sheriff’s office got a tip that a helmet washed up on the beach near the 3500 block of East Highway 61. Authorities confirmed the helmet belonged to Pechacek and, after searching the area for about three hours, found and recovered it.
“This is not the outcome that we wanted, and our thoughts and prayers go to Denny’s family and friends. We are so very fortunate that we live in a community where people will drop what they’re doing and rally to assist those in need,” Sheriff Pat Eliasen said in a statement.
An autopsy has been scheduled. No other details are available at this time.