Missing Wasilla pilot’s plane found more than 4 months after he went missing in Alaska Range

PALMER — Authorities this week located the wreckage of the Cessna 172 that Timothy D. Twohy flew into the Alaska Range in early March but never flew out.

Representatives of the Alaska State Troopers, National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration arrived via helicopter at the crash site Tuesday, troopers spokesman Ken Marsh said Wednesday morning.

The wreckage was first reported to troopers Monday evening by the pilot of a civilian helicopter flying in the area, up in the mountains just outside Rainy Pass, in Twohy’s “general flight path,” Marsh said. The plane was tentatively identified based on the tail number. Remains found at the scene have been taken to the state medical examiner.

Twohy, reported missing on March 5, was a 61-year-old electrician from Wasilla. He was also a recreational pilot for more than two decades.

Twohy flew to Submarine Lake that March day to help friends pack out a bison they killed on a hunt. He took off from Farewell Airport, south of Nikolai and west of Denali National Park and Preserve, after 5 p.m. He was heading to Wasilla but never arrived.

His disappearance triggered a broad search that lasted for more than two weeks before the Alaska Air National Guard called it off, though a corps of Good Samaritan pilots were expected to keep looking. The search involved multiple agencies including Civil Air Patrol, troopers and the National Park Service but was hampered by bad weather and the rough mountain terrain of the area.

His family is planning a memorial service for Twohy next month in Chugiak.

Reporter Jeff Parrott contributed to this story.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.