On July 20, 2024, Samuel Wright III, 78, a longtime pilot from Haines, departed Juneau in his 1948 Beechcraft Bonanza A35 bound for Yakutat with passengers Hans Munich and Tanya Hutchins. The flight was expected to take about an hour but never arrived. A friend tracking the flight noted the aircraft’s radar signal stopped abruptly near Mount Crillon at roughly 10,000 feet.

An immediate search by the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers and the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center used helicopters, planes and a cutter, but high altitude, heavy cloud and the rugged terrain within Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve hampered efforts. After three days the official search was suspended. Local pilots and friends continued private searches and identified an area of disturbance that authorities later confirmed as the apparent crash site. An obituary confirmed Hans Munich and Tanya Hutchins were killed in the crash.

The community in Haines and Yakutat was deeply affected by the loss of three people closely tied to Alaska aviation. Does anyone have information about the flight, the aircraft’s last known position, or observations near Mount Crillon on July 20?