A missing Alaska pilot and his plane have still not been found after disappearing in a treacherous warren of mountain passes in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve three days ago.
David McRae, 55, was flying fuel from Anchorage to the Port Alsworth homestead of his aunt, Bella Hammond, on Friday evening when he is believed to have deviated from his planned route through Lake Clark pass due to weather, according to investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The pilot's emergency transmitter beacon has been "pinging" from an elevation of about 5,000 feet, indicating the plane may be on a mountain.
But search and rescue pilots with the Alaska Air National Guard have not been able to get to the plane, despite three full days of trying.
Clouds, rain and fog have hampered the search, which is now focused on an area in the Northwest Corner of Lake Clark National Park between the notorious Merrill Pass and Telaquana Lake, according to National Park Service spokesman John Quinley.
On Monday, a Pave Hawk helicopter was "out and flying" in the area, taking advantage of windows of improved weather, Quinley said.
"Their intention is to fly through the day," he said.
A C-130 Hercules that had been involved in the search was in Port Alsworth undergoing maintenance Monday, he said.
The area, especially Merrill Pass, has been the site of many airplane crashes. Wreckage of at least two planes is visible when flying through the valley, Quinley said.
The route is one of the most common ways to reach Southwest Alaska from Anchorage. But it can be quickly socked in with weather, trapping planes in a tight valley surrounded by steep mountains.
On Monday, federal investigators were analyzing radar data transmitted by McRae's plane in hopes of getting a better picture of the flight's trajectory.
"We're hoping to wring a little bit more information out of it," said Clint Johnson of the NTSB.
Three days of searching without locating a plane isn't unheard of in Alaska, Johnson said.
"They will keep trying until they've exhausted all means of trying to find (McRae)," he said.