Update, 7:30 a.m. Friday:
Alaska State Troopers say crews have recovered the plane that crashed into Crescent Lake on Tuesday, along with the bodies of both the men aboard.
In an update late Thursday, troopers said the Piper PA-18 Super Cub was found in the lake at a depth of nearly 200 feet.
“With the use of divers and a (remotely operated vehicle), the crew was able to float the plane and tow it to shore,” troopers said. “Both Paul Kondrat and Mark (“Tyson”) Sletten were found inside of the plane deceased.”
Sletten was the director of operations for the U.S. military’s Alaskan Command, which issued a statement early Friday confirming his death. Its commander, Lt. Gen. David Nahom, mourned the loss of the longtime fighter pilot.
“The news has been devastating for all of us here at Alaskan Command and the loss of Tyson is being felt throughout our community,” Nahom said in the statement. “Right now, our priority is taking care of his family and our teammates that were close to Tyson.”
Original story:
The director of operations for the U.S. military’s Alaskan Command is one of two men presumed dead after a small plane crashed Tuesday on the Kenai Peninsula, military officials said.
Air Force Col. Mark “Tyson” Sletten, 46, was on board the Piper PA-18 Super Cub that crashed into Crescent Lake, according to a statement from the Alaskan Command. Sletten had flown fighter jets for years, including F-16 Fighting Falcons at Air Force bases in Fairbanks and New Mexico, according to military reports.
Federal investigators say Sletten was on an instructional flight Tuesday, learning to fly a floatplane. The other person onboard was instructor Paul Kondrat, 41, of Utah.
The plane was owned by Moose Pass-based Scenic Mountain Air and operated by a sister company, Alaska Float Ratings, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska chief, Clint Johnson. Staff at Scenic Mountain Air declined to comment on the crash Thursday.
According to Alaska State Troopers, the flight had left Moose Pass, about 30 miles north of Seward, and was set to return there.
The NTSB was informed at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday that the plane had crashed into Crescent Lake, Johnson said. A pair of hikers in the area later told him they had seen the Super Cub making a series of touch-and-go landings on the lake.
“On the last one, all we know at this point right now is the airplane entered into a nose-low attitude and struck the surface of the water,” Johnson said.
An initial search found only part of one of the plane’s floats, according to Johnson. The lake is estimated to be 200 to 300 feet deep.
“Unfortunately, after the accident, the majority of the wreckage sank,” Johnson said. “And we’ve been in recovery mode, along with the Alaska State Troopers at this point right now to hopefully retrieve that wreckage from the depths of Crescent Lake.”
Troopers were coordinating an ongoing recovery effort for the plane and those on board Thursday, according to agency spokesperson Austin McDaniel. Military aircraft were providing transport to the remote area, with remotely operated vehicles, sonar and divers from the nonprofit Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team examining the lake.
McDaniel said it’s not unusual to receive support from the military for a recovery effort like Thursday’s, given its robust presence across the state.
NTSB investigators haven’t found any sign of a distress call from the plane before it crashed, Johnson said. Although information on what happened is currently limited, the military assistance has heightened investigators’ hopes to examine the plane.
“We are very hopeful that we’re going to be able to see this wreckage again,” he said. “And as soon as that wreckage is onshore on dry land, our investigative team will launch to the site.”
Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
