Coast Guard staff are searching for a missing charter flight that left Juneau on Saturday bound for Yakutat but never reached its destination.
There were three people on board, but Coast Guard public affairs officer Mike Salerno said they do not know anything more about them. The missing plane is a Beechcraft Bonanza, according to a Coast Guard social media post.
Coast Guard spokesperson Shannon Kearney said the initial call about an overdue plane came in at 5:40 p.m. on Saturday. The agency issued a marine broadcast just after 6 p.m. and sent out the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Reef Shark about half an hour later.
Later, they launched a MH-60T helicopter from Sitka and C130 from Kodiak and have partnered with Alaska State Troopers and the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center to search for the plane.
The agency is searching near the Fairweather Mountain Range. According to a dispatch from Alaska State Troopers, they got a report that the plane went missing near Mount Crillon, which is at the southern end of the range.
Salerno asked that people flying between Juneau and Yakutat who see something out of the ordinary contact the Coast Guard.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
