A search and rescue operation is underway for three people aboard a flight that went missing yesterday in Southcentral.
The Cessna 180 departed Lake Hood Sunday afternoon en route to the Kenai Peninsula. The flight was reported overdue later that day.
Shortly thereafter, calls began coming in to the Rescue Coordination Center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson about an emergency locator signal transmitted from the area.
Staff Sergeant Edward Eagerton is a public affairs specialist with the Alaska Air National Guard. He said the guard sent out two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters each with a team of Guardian Angel para-rescuemen.
“So they launched yesterday and searched through the day, through the night, and were unable to find them,” Eagerton said. “They had to return to base, refuel, re-set, that kind of thing, and are continuing to search today.”
Alaska’s Civil Air Patrol is also assisting with the search.
As of Monday (Jan. 30) afternoon, there were no official ground searches underway.
The passengers and pilot have not yet been identified.
However, the Alaska District Church of the Nazarene posted on Facebook last night that three of its Soldotna area members may have been on board.