KODIAK, Alaska (AP) - The Coast Guard in Alaska was searching Wednesday for a medical airplane that went missing with three people aboard.

The King Air 200, operated by Guardian Flight, had taken off from Anchorage on Tuesday and was expected to land in the tiny southeast Alaska village of Kake at 6:19 p.m. to pick up a patient, but never arrived, the Coast Guard said.

A pilot, a nurse and a paramedic are aboard the twin-engine aircraft.

Guardian Flight spokesman Jim Gregory said the company's Alaska aircraft have been grounded while the Coast Guard searches for the overdue plane. The South Jordan, Utah-based company has about 15 aircraft in Alaska.

Gregory said the company initially grounded all aircraft across the U.S. as a show of respect for the missing people but has gradually re-started operations with aircraft based outside of Alaska.

"That really gave our employees time to reflect on what's happened to the missing crewmembers and to pray," Jordan said.

The search by boats and aircraft is focusing on an area 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Kake, Chief Petty Officer Charly Hengen said.

"We're just diligently still continuing the search and hope that we find the overdue aircraft and individuals," Hengen said.

He said light rain, 7 mph (11 kph) winds and 10-mile (16-kilometer) visibility were reported in the area around the time the plane was due in Kake. </s> KODIAK, Alaska (AP) – The Latest on missing medical flight in Alaska (all times local):

An official with a medical flight firm says the company’s Alaska aircraft have been grounded while the Coast Guard searches for an overdue air ambulance with three people on board.

Guardian Flight spokesman Jim Gregory says the grounding of the aircraft gives company employees a chance to reflect on the three crew members and pray for them. A pilot, a nurse and a paramedic are aboard.

Gregory says the company initially grounded all aircraft across the U.S. but has gradually re-started operations with aircraft based outside of Alaska.

The Coast Guard says the King Air 200 plane operated by Guardian Flight took off from Anchorage on Tuesday and was expected to land in the tiny southeastern village of Kake at 6:19 p.m. but never arrived.

Chief Petty Officer Charly Hengen says the search by boats and aircraft is focusing on an area 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Kake.

The Coast Guard in Alaska is searching for an overdue medical flight with three people aboard.

The Coast Guard says the King Air 200, operated by Guardian Flight, had taken off from Anchorage on Tuesday and was expected to land in Kake at 6:19 p.m., but never arrived.

A Coast Guard vessel was sent to search near the aircraft’s last known position.

Light rain was reported in the area. </s> KODIAK, Alaska - The Coast Guard in Alaska was searching Wednesday for a medical airplane that went missing with three people aboard.

The King Air 200, operated by Guardian Flight, had taken off from Anchorage on Tuesday and was expected to land in the tiny southeast Alaska village of Kake at 6:19 p.m. to pick up a patient, but never arrived, the Coast Guard said.

A pilot, a nurse and a paramedic are aboard the twin-engine aircraft.

Guardian Flight spokesman Jim Gregory said the company’s Alaska aircraft have been grounded while the Coast Guard searches for the overdue plane. The South Jordan, Utah-based company has about 15 aircraft in Alaska.

Gregory said the company initially grounded all aircraft across the U.S. as a show of respect for the missing people but has gradually re-started operations with aircraft based outside of Alaska. </s> 9 a.m. Update:

The search continues Wednesday morning for an ambulance aircraft with Guardian Flight which went missing Tuesday evening after failing to reach its scheduled destination in Kake.

Chief Charly Hengen with the U.S. Coast Guard public affairs office told KTUU early Wednesday that more crews are coming in to assist in the search in addition to the search personnel mobilized yesterday who would again be participating in the efforts.

"We're still conducting the search this morning. So far there are no reports of the aircraft being found from last night or into this morning," Hengen said.

The search is being conducted near the last known position of the aircraft, though USCG officials reported that the electronic locating transmitter on the aircraft is not broadcasting.

The additional search units come from the Kake search and rescue team, Alaska State Troopers, Petersburg search and rescue, Alaska Air National Guard, and multiple U.S. Coast Guard cutters.

“With the assistance of our state and local partners and good Samaritan vessels, we will continue to search for the missing aircraft and individuals,” said Capt. Stephen White, Sector Juneau commander. “We have several Coast Guard assets diligently searching along with the invaluable assistance of the other rescue and volunteers, and we greatly appreciate their help.”

Guardian Flight initiated a stand down of the company's Alaska fleet until updates on the search are available, according to a post made on the company's Facebook page.

12:51AM CT January 30th 2019 Update

Original Story:

An aircraft with Guardian Flight air ambulance service is missing and a search is now underway, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The flight was en route from Anchorage to Kake Tuesday evening, but did not arrive as scheduled.

The Coast Guard says its watchstanders in Juneau received notification from Sitka Flight Services that a Guardian Flight King Air 200 medical life flight was expected to land in Kake at 6:19 p.m., but the aircraft never landed.

Coast Guard officials say there are three people on board, and search crews are looking in an area about 20 miles west of Kake.

The Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa is conducting the search near the last known position of the aircraft. Good Samaritan vessels are also searching the area, along with a Coast Guard helicopter based in Sitka.

“Coast Guard crews are diligently searching for the missing aircraft and individuals,” said Lt j.g. Colin McClelland, Coast Guard Sector Juneau command duty officer. “We appreciate the assistance of the good Samaritan vessels and we hope we locate the aircraft and people soon.”

In a written statement Tuesday night, Randy Lyman, Senior Vice President of Operations for the company wrote "The Guardian Flight family is devastated to report that a company aircraft flying from Anchorage to Kake, Alaska has been reported missing".

The company said three Guardian Flight employees, a pilot, nurse, and paramedic, were aboard the twin-engine plane.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to our fellow employees and their families during this very trying time" wrote Lyman, who added that Guardian Flight has initiated a stand down of the company's entire fleet until further information is available.

Guardian Flight also said it will be cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration during the investigation.

The Coast Guard said weather in the area was reported as light rain with overcast skies, 10 miles visibility, 7 mph winds and an air temperature of 36 degrees.

This is a developing story. Check KTUU.com and Channel 2 News for updates. </s> KODIAK, Alaska — The Coast Guard in Alaska is searching for an overdue medical flight with three people aboard.

The Coast Guard says the King Air 200, operated by Guardian Flight, had taken off from Anchorage on Tuesday and was expected to land in Kake at 6:19 p.m., but never arrived.

A Coast Guard vessel was sent to search near the aircraft's last known position.

Light rain was reported in the area. </s> ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Authorities have released the names of four Alaskans and a Montana man who were killed in a midair collision of two small planes in western Alaska as responders said Thursday that rough terrain is complicating efforts to recover the bodies.

On one plane, pilot Harry Wrase, 48, of Wasilla and his passengers, Steven Paul Andrew, 32, of Kenai, and Aaron Jay Minock, 21, of Russian Mission, were killed in the Wednesday morning crash.

In the other plane, pilot Zach Justin Babat, 44, of Montana and his passenger, Jeff Thomas Burruss, 40, of Haines, were killed. A hometown for Babat was not immediately disclosed.

Wrase was flying a Ravn Alaska Cessna 208 Caravan from Russian Mission to the nearby village of Marshall, troopers said. Babat was piloting a Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures Piper Super Cub and heading for a hunting camp.

There were no survivors in the crash 6 miles northwest of the village of Russian Mission, 375 miles west of Anchorage. Troopers were heading to the scene Thursday to recover the bodies, agency spokesman Megan Peters said.

Rough terrain and the technically complicated nature of midair collisions are making the investigative response and recovery of the bodies difficult, said Clint Johnson, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska division.

The plane wreckages are about half a mile apart at the crash scene, which covers an area accessible only by helicopter, Johnson said. A National Transportation Safety Board investigative team and troopers reached the scene late Wednesday afternoon, landing a quarter-mile from the Cessna, then hiking through woods thick with alder trees. There was no time for troopers to recover the victims Wednesday before responders had to depart before night fell, Johnson said.

“This is a very challenging area for what we need to do,” he said, adding that the safety board investigators were heading out again Thursday. </s> ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard says it rescued one survivor of a helicopter crash near a bay in southeast Alaska and is searching for three others. The agency says the 14-year-old survivor…

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard says it rescued one survivor of a helicopter crash near a bay in southeast Alaska and is searching for three others.

The agency says the 14-year-old survivor of the Friday crash showed signs of mild hypothermia but is in good condition, the Anchorage Daily News reported .

The crash happened near Lituya Bay, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) northwest of Juneau, officials said.

Two adults and two adolescents were aboard the crashed helicopter that was reported to be brand new out of the factory, according to the Coast Guard.

The agency declined to identify them. However, family friend Jeff Brodsky said two of the missing victims were Josh Pepperd, of Anchorage, and his son Andrew, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Pepperd’s son Aiden was found, Brodsky said.

“We are holding onto hope that a miracle will happen,” said Brodsky, who said he has been in touch with family and friends gathered at the hospital where Aiden was taken for treatment.

The helicopter was on a trip that began in Grand Prairie, Texas, bound for Wasilla, Alaska.

The Coast Guard command center in Juneau received an overdue aircraft alert at about 6:30 p.m. Friday from the Juneau Flight Service Station. The private helicopter had been expected to reach Yakutat on Friday but had not arrived, the alert said.

Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board in Alaska, said the agency is sending investigators to the crash site.

“We understand they found wreckage in shallow water,” Johnson said. “This is an active search and rescue at this point.”

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Authorities say rescuers did not find any survivors after a small plane carrying three people crashed in a remote area of western Alaska.

Alaska State Troopers say its helicopter crew located wreckage of the plane near the coastal village of Togiak, about 200 miles northwest of Anchorage.

The troopers said in a statement that no survivors were found at the crash site, which was in rough terrain about 12 miles northwest of Togiak.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Clint Johnson tells KTVA that two pilots and a passenger were aboard.

He says that the Cessna 208 operated by Ravn Connect was en route to Togiak from Quinhagak, about 70 miles away.

The station says another Ravn Connect flight utilizing a Hageland Aviation Services plane crashed in midair with another plane on Aug. 31, killing five people. </s> ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The U.S. Coast Guard says it rescued one survivor of a helicopter crash near a bay in southeast Alaska and is searching for three others.

The agency says the 14-year-old survivor of the Friday crash showed signs of mild hypothermia but is in good condition, the Anchorage Daily News reported .

The crash happened near Lituya Bay, about 120 miles (193 kilometres) northwest of Juneau, officials said.

Two adults and two adolescents were aboard the crashed helicopter that was reported to be brand new out of the factory, according to the Coast Guard.

The agency declined to identify them. However, family friend Jeff Brodsky said two of the missing victims were Josh Pepperd, of Anchorage, and his son Andrew, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Pepperd’s son Aiden was found, Brodsky said.

“We are holding onto hope that a miracle will happen,” said Brodsky, who said he has been in touch with family and friends gathered at the hospital where Aiden was taken for treatment.

The helicopter was on a trip that began in Grand Prairie, Texas, bound for Wasilla, Alaska.

The Coast Guard command centre in Juneau received an overdue aircraft alert at about 6:30 p.m. Friday from the Juneau Flight Service Station. The private helicopter had been expected to reach Yakutat on Friday but had not arrived, the alert said.

Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board in Alaska, said the agency is sending investigators to the crash site.

“We understand they found wreckage in shallow water,” Johnson said. “This is an active search and rescue at this point.”
A second air ambulance, traveling from Anchorage, Alaska to the village of Kake, in Southeast Alaska, was reported missing. The aircraft had a crew of three onboard.