Louis William Billy Hogan Jr. disappeared on May 2, 1972, while ferrying a new yellow-and-white single-engine Citabria from Danbury, Connecticut, to Houlton, Maine. He was a Houlton resident and LISAir employee remembered as Billy, closely bonded with his younger brother Jerome.

During the flight he encountered bad weather over Maine and a critical navigation aid, the Augusta VOR beacon, was reportedly out of service for several hours. Flying a two-seat Citabria at about 3,000 feet and low on fuel, he issued a mayday to Portland air traffic control asking for directions; that distress call is the last known communication. Neither Billy nor the airplane has ever been found.

Decades of searches followed. Family members, volunteers and aviation specialists concentrated search efforts across central and coastal Maine—especially Mount Waldo—using grid hikes, aerial photography, drones and DNA comparisons with unidentified remains recovered in the 1970s. Leads have come and gone, including a Citabria on Fourth Mountain that proved not to be his plane.

If anyone knew Billy, his route that day, or remembers possible sightings of wreckage in the areas searched, can you share what you know?