Most of the area being searched, and where the uncharted wrecks are being found, is not in the "Sierra Nevada." Some of the search area is in a portion of that mountain range, but most is in the Nevada desert east of the Sierras. The desert area, too, has high mountains and much rugged territory where things can get lost for years -- but it's not the Sierra Nevada. The desert mountains are no easier for ground crews to search than are the Sierras, but they're marginally easier to search from the air, because they have a lot fewer trees.

Good catch. I saw that on the news, and something did not seem right.