James48843
08-23-2010, 08:29 AM
Plane carrying National Park Service Employees still missing
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- A search in western Alaska for a plane carrying four people, including three National Park Service employees, turned up no sign of the plane, officials said.
The National Park Service said the de Havilland Beaver float plane, owned by Branch River Air Service of King Salmon, disappeared after leaving Swikshak Lagoon Saturday afternoon on a return trip to King Salmon, the Anchorage Daily News reported Monday.
Officials said the weather was deteriorating throughout the search area.
The search covered a wide and rugged area between King Salmon and the park's Pacific coast, concentrating on river valleys that drain into Kamishak Bay, said the Park Service, which coordinated the search.
King Salmon is about 285 miles west of Anchorage.
"There's a lot of country out there," Park Service spokesman John Quinley said.
The Park Service identified the missing employees as Mason McLeod, 26, and two brothers, Neal Spradlin, 28, and Seth Spradlin, 20. The pilot's name was not being released until his family could be notified.
The Katmai National Park maintenance employees were in Swikshak to work on replacing a deteriorated ranger station, park officials said.
"The pilot was very familiar with the area and had flown the route many times," Ralph Moore, superintendent of the park, told McClatchy Newspapers.
Poor visibility hampered the search, which ended for the day Sunday around 10:30 p.m., the Daily News said. Searchers said they hadn't picked up a signal from the plane's emergency locater transmitter or any radio communications.
Officials said it was possible the plane landed and the group found a cove to wait out the weather. They said signals from plane's radio may be weak or blocked by mountains.
More: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/08/updated-searchers-looking-missing-plane-park-service-employees-aboard-katmai-national-park-and-prese6452
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- A search in western Alaska for a plane carrying four people, including three National Park Service employees, turned up no sign of the plane, officials said.
The National Park Service said the de Havilland Beaver float plane, owned by Branch River Air Service of King Salmon, disappeared after leaving Swikshak Lagoon Saturday afternoon on a return trip to King Salmon, the Anchorage Daily News reported Monday.
Officials said the weather was deteriorating throughout the search area.
The search covered a wide and rugged area between King Salmon and the park's Pacific coast, concentrating on river valleys that drain into Kamishak Bay, said the Park Service, which coordinated the search.
King Salmon is about 285 miles west of Anchorage.
"There's a lot of country out there," Park Service spokesman John Quinley said.
The Park Service identified the missing employees as Mason McLeod, 26, and two brothers, Neal Spradlin, 28, and Seth Spradlin, 20. The pilot's name was not being released until his family could be notified.
The Katmai National Park maintenance employees were in Swikshak to work on replacing a deteriorated ranger station, park officials said.
"The pilot was very familiar with the area and had flown the route many times," Ralph Moore, superintendent of the park, told McClatchy Newspapers.
Poor visibility hampered the search, which ended for the day Sunday around 10:30 p.m., the Daily News said. Searchers said they hadn't picked up a signal from the plane's emergency locater transmitter or any radio communications.
Officials said it was possible the plane landed and the group found a cove to wait out the weather. They said signals from plane's radio may be weak or blocked by mountains.
More: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/08/updated-searchers-looking-missing-plane-park-service-employees-aboard-katmai-national-park-and-prese6452