Waiting for a Break in the Weather

EAGLE, Colo.: While the Air Force is "99.9 percent sure" that the pieces of grey metal sticking out of the snow on upper New York mountain belong to the A-10 Thunderbolt that has been missing for three weeks since Captain Craig Button veered north and disappeared, violent weather continues to confound search teams' attempts at confirmation. "We're not ready to put people at that risk," said Air Force Colonel Denver Pletcher at a news conference. "There's no sense of urgency at this time." Weather services predicted a break in the rain and snow sometime Tuesday, but for now, clouds continue to shroud the higher attitudes, making it prohibitively dangerous to the recovery experts who will dangle 100 to 200 feet below the helicopter before being set down amid the hazardously-perched wreckage. An MH-53A helicopter capable of lifting 20,000 pounds be used when the recovery of evidence, and possibly Button, can proceed.