Clayton Earl McMartin II, 59, and his wife Melissa were killed when their Beechcraft Bonanza B-36, tail number N6709Q, crashed in a remote area of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The couple departed Glennallen, Alaska, at 8:50 a.m. on August 27, 2023, bound for Ketchikan. The last communication came about 18 miles inland of Cape Yakataga. When the aircraft was reported overdue, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center and Alaska Air National Guard searched, but poor weather limited initial efforts.

On the evening of August 28 a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft located wreckage near Mt. Leeper in a heavily glaciated area with deep crevasses. Persistent bad weather and the glacier s continual snow accumulation made access impossible for days, and the mission shifted from search to recovery. On September 5, 2023, the National Park Service confirmed the pair had died in the accident. Investigators noted the pilot flew into instrument meteorological conditions with low clouds and poor visibility before a rapid descent. The family described Clayton and Melissa as generous and full of life.