On August 21st Saturday  afternoon, a de Havilland Beaver airplane, N9313Z, departed Swikshak Lagoon, Alaska carrying the pilot and three Katmai National Park Rangers went missing after their plane did not arrive in King Salmon (about 285 miles southwest of Anchorage) in Bristol Bay Borough, Alaska as expected.

King Salmon is located on the north bank of the Naknek River on the Alaska Peninsula, about 15 miles upriver from Naknek, near Naknek Lake. On Tuesday a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew conducted the search between Swikshak Bay and King Salmon's surrounding bays and valleys searching more than 800 square miles in six hours. The 1952 de Havilland Beaver DHC-2 fixed wing single engine float aircraft is owned by Hartley Inc. DBA of Anchorage, Alaska and operated by Branch River Air Service.

Onboard the de Havilland Beaver were three parker service rangers; Mason McLeod age 26 and two brothers Neal Spradlin age 28 and Seth Spradlin age 20. The pilots name has not been released. The aircraft departed about 1:45 PM local time from Swikshak Lagoon, Alaska, to King Salmon. The flight should have taken less than one hour. The pilot had flown the route on numerous occasions and was familiar with the flight route, although weather condition at the time was beginning to deteriorate.

Fifteen minutes later, a second aircraft, a Cessna 206 took off carrying two additional park employees and made the flight to King Salmon within an hour. However, the cloud ceiling forced the pilot to fly 500 feet above ground level and fly an alternate route due to the mountainous terrain. The pilot of this flight reported he did not see any signs of a downed aircraft nor did he pick up any ELT (emergency locator transmitter) signals. There is hope, many believe that the pilot was able to land the de Havilland Beaver and he and his passengers were able to seek shelter in a cove to wait out the storm. Pilots in the area are being encouraged to monitor frequency 121.5.