Date: August 31, 2010
Contact: Kathleen Kavalok, 907-246-2104
Contact: Adrienne Freeman, 907-246-2104
Despite variable and windy weather which developed over the area this afternoon, searchers were able to continue efforts to locate the missing floatplane carrying National Park Service employees Mason McLeod,
26, Neal Spradlin, 28, Seth Spradlin, 20, and pilot Marco Alletto. No sign of the plane or passengers has yet been reported.
Searchers have logged 45,700 flight miles to date in the search for the missing floatplane which disappeared on August 21, 2010. Targeted searching will continue tomorrow in some high elevation areas, weather
permitting.
Aircraft travelling in the area of the search should be aware of increased air traffic in the area due to search operations. Anyone who was monitoring radio traffic or heard a signal from an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) on 121.5 MHz between August 21 and today around the Katmai/Kodiak area is asked to contact Park Dispatch at 907-246-3305. Additionally, visitors and staff who were in the Katmai/Kenai area during that time period are asked to contact authorities whether or not they saw any evidence of an aircraft. Doing so can help determine where searchers should focus their efforts.
For more information, please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/katm for updated information. A 3-dimensional map is also available at www.nps.gov/katm/parknews/katmai-missing-plane-map.htm
