CAMP DENALI, Alaska—The search for a missing pilot who disappeared after departing the Soldotna Airport for Palmer Oct. 13 was suspended yesterday after search efforts yielded no results after eight days.
The 11th Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, acting under the authority of Lt. Gen. Stephen L. Hoog, 11th Air Force commander, has suspended the search for Brendan Mattingley after working around-the-clock to lead search-and-rescue efforts.
The RCC requested assistance from multiple agencies during the intensive search, including the Alaska Air National Guard, Civil Air Patrol, Alaska State Troopers and U.S. Coast Guard, totaling 221 hours of flight time and 66 missions during the search efforts.
Mattingley was last seen early morning Oct. 13 at the Soldotna Airport. The 27-year-old Mattingley was flying his PA-18 Super Cub from Soldotna to Wolf Lake but never made it to his destination.
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The RCC tasked the Kenai Civil Air Patrol on Oct. 14 to search the departure area around Soldotna, but Civil Air Patrol members were unable to locate his aircraft. Since then, multiple search-and-rescue units joined in the search efforts, flying grid patterns over the pilot’s flight path to look for signs of his aircraft.
Volunteer search efforts were led simultaneously by family and friends, generating approximately 350 hours of flight time while utilizing 54 aircraft. Although their search efforts are not considered official data in the decision to suspend the search, their efforts were appreciated by Hoog and the aviation community across Alaska.
According to the RCC, all the leads that came in have been thoroughly researched and although the sanctioned search is suspended, private search efforts will be ongoing and the case can be re-opened by the RCC if new evidence is discovered.
