Pilot on his way to deer hunt disappears

Andrew Lindberg, a newlywed and newly licensed pilot, beamed when discussing his future. With his new bride, loving family, close friends and steady job, a college friend said Sunday that he'd never seemed happier.

The only thing missing on Sunday was Lindberg himself.

En route from Lakeville to northwestern Minnesota on Friday for his annual deer-hunting excursion, Lindberg's small plane disappeared between Staples in central Minnesota and his hometown of Hallock, 250 miles away in the state's northwestern corner. His father and a close friend were waiting there to begin their hunt.

Some 110 searchers from authorized patrol groups throughout the state combed a 2,000-square-mile area near Staples from the air and by foot until sunset. They were to resume the search today at dawn. But other than a mysterious call from Lindberg's cell phone Friday night and a green flare reported by an observer, authorities had few leads as they battled the elements and November's shrinking daylight.

"Andrew is personable, warm, outgoing, gregarious, just full of life," said college friend Jennifer Watson, whose husband, Patrick, was in Hallock on Friday, waiting to go deer hunting with Lindberg. "If there's anyone who instills hope, it's Andrew."

Lindberg, 32, was particularly excited about flying his family's Piper Cherokee plane from Lakeville to Hallock. But when Bill Lindberg received a call from his son's phone at 8:46 p.m. Friday, "there was nobody there," Jennifer Watson said Sunday.

Twelve aircraft and eight ground teams continued their all-day search Sunday for Lindberg, Lt. George Supan, of the Civil Air Patrol's Minnesota Wing, said from Brainerd.

"Andrew texted that there were blue skies, clear skies, everything's OK," said Jennifer Watson, whose husband also attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter with Lindberg.

Patrick Watson had driven to Hallock on Thursday, and was waiting for Lindberg, a Met Life financial adviser who lives in Farmington. Lindberg, who graduated from Gustavus in 2000, had been the best man at the Watsons' wedding last year.

Andrew and Kate Lindberg were married Oct. 3, and Andrew, who treasured his family, talked about how excited he was to one day have children, Jennifer Watson said.

"He loves fishing, boating and hunting," she said. "But Andrew loves nothing more than family."

Six weeks after their wedding, Kate Lindberg was in the Brainerd area Sunday, waiting and hoping that her new groom would be found, Jennifer Watson said.

"Bill knew something was wrong," said a neighbor, Evans Anderson. "For Bill to receive a call at 6:30 and then not hear anything again ... well, that was unusual."

A pilot flying a small plane in the Staples area may have turned around and headed back toward the Twin Cities around 7:30 p.m., according to reports relayed to Supan. There were also reports of a green flare seen southwest of Brainerd, Jennifer Watson said.

Lindberg earned his pilot's license just months ago. With its low wings and relatively small size, the Piper Cherokee would have flown well below the clouds, but may have been difficult to see at night.

"We're hoping that deer hunters will become involved in the search," Bill Lindberg said from his farm in Kennedy, near Hallock. "We've got the Civil Air Patrol, the Border Patrol, the State Patrol and sheriffs throughout the state looking. But we need more help."

Anyone with information about Lindberg and the missing plane should call the Todd County Sheriff in Long Prairie at 1-320-732-2157, or any other local authority between Staples and Hallock. Supan asked that pilots not involved in the search avoid the flight zone between St. Cloud and Fosston.