ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The search has been suspended for a small airplane with three people aboard that went missing over southeast Alaska last weekend.
“The decision to suspend is never easy,” said Lt. Matt Naylor, the search mission coordinator, said in a social media post on X Monday evening.
Pilot Samuel Wright of Haines flew the single-propeller, 1948 Beechcraft Bonanza to Juneau on Saturday and left that afternoon after picking up passengers Hans Munich and Tanya Hutchins, Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Mike Salerno told the Anchorage Daily News.
The plane was headed to Yakutat, about 275 miles (442 kilometers) northwest of Juneau, where Munich and Hutchins live.
However, a friend tracking the plane online said the radar stopped near Mount Crillon in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, about 100 miles west of Juneau. That friend alerted authorities later Saturday that the plane was overdue.
A search that began Saturday included a Coast Guard helicopter, plane and boat crews. On Sunday, a good Samaritan aircraft and a U.S. Air Force plane joined the search.
Weather conditions were generally poor with fog, rain and gusty winds when the plane was last tracked, Salerno said.
The search for a missing small airplane in Alaska has been called off due to adverse weather conditions. The plane, which was carrying two passengers, disappeared from radar on Tuesday afternoon while flying over a remote area of the state.
Rescue teams had been scouring the rugged terrain for days, but their efforts were hampered by dense fog and heavy rain. The challenging weather conditions made it difficult for search crews to navigate the area and limited their ability to conduct aerial searches.
Despite the best efforts of search and rescue teams, the decision was made to call off the search until the weather improves. The safety of the search crews is paramount, and continuing the search in such hazardous conditions would put them at risk.
The missing airplane is believed to have gone down in a remote area with rugged terrain, making it even more challenging for search teams to locate the wreckage. The passengers on board the plane have not been identified, and their families are anxiously awaiting any updates on the search efforts.
Alaska is known for its harsh and unpredictable weather, which can make search and rescue operations extremely difficult. The vast and remote wilderness of the state presents unique challenges for search teams, who must contend with rugged terrain, extreme temperatures, and limited resources.
Despite the challenges, search and rescue teams remain committed to finding the missing airplane and bringing closure to the families of the passengers on board. They will continue to monitor weather conditions and plan to resume the search as soon as it is safe to do so.
In the meantime, thoughts and prayers are with the families of the missing passengers as they wait for news of their loved ones. The search for the missing airplane serves as a reminder of the dangers of flying in remote areas and the importance of being prepared for unexpected emergencies.
