Grand Canyon wreckage

River rafters on hike from campsite discover wreckage of small aircraft in Grand Canyon

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - A group of river rafters in search of old mining equipment on a hike at the Grand Canyon came across something unexpected during a recent trip: the wreckage of a small aircraft with bones scattered nearby.

John Weisheit was with several people who discovered the wreckage earlier this month as they ventured from a seldom-used campsite off the Colorado River. A technical team reached the site, about 30 miles northwest of Grand Canyon Village, over the weekend and removed the reddish aircraft that stuck between two boulders and naturally concealed.

"It was so smashed, so compressed that it was really hard to find an actual skeleton, but then we did notice vertebrae in the cockpit," Weisheit told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The size and color of the aircraft match one that missing at the park in 2011, Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Emily Davis said.