U.S. Coast Guard crews have joined efforts with multiple agencies and volunteers in a search for an overdue Guardian King Air 200 medivac flight with three people on board overdue on a flight from Anchorage into Kake in Southeast Alaska.
Coast Guard officials in Juneau said the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa and an Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew are involved, along with a Juneau-based Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 rescue helicopter.
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Gailey Barco is also en route to the search area. Also assisting in the search are Petersburg Search and Rescue, Alaska State Troopers, Kake Search and Rescue and Alaska Marine Highway System ferries.
The medivac flight out of Anchorage was due into Kake at 6:19 p.m. on Tuesday but never arrived.
Watchstanders directed the launch of the Cutter Anacapa crew to search near the last known position of the aircraft 20 miles west of Kake. Weather conditions at mid-morning on Wednesday, Jan. 30, were rain and snow with overcast skies, 7 mile an hour winds and air temperature of 39 degrees. Water temperature was reported at 42 degrees with 1-3 foot swells.
Several good Samaritan vessels assisted in the search last night. The electronic locating transmitter is not broadcasting for the overdue aircraft, Coast Guard officials said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
