In a tragic turn of events, a pilot and his passenger are feared dead following a small aircraft crash in a ravine within Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, according to an official statement released on Saturday.
The PA-18 aircraft wreckage was discovered on Thursday morning in a narrow ravine north of the West Fork of the Yentna River. The aircraft had been reported overdue the previous day in the southwest preserve, as stated by the National Park Service.
"Survivability of the crash was unlikely," the agency reported, after a search crew observed the crash site. The steep terrain prevented the crew from landing at the accident location.
Simultaneously, as park rangers were evaluating the crash site, Alaska State Troopers were notified about a hunter stranded at a remote airstrip beyond the preserves southern border. Upon reaching the stranded hunter, it was revealed that his pilot had not returned for him on Wednesday after transporting his hunting partner to a Dillinger River airstrip in the preserve's western region.
Officials have deduced from evidence that the aircraft crashed before it could reach the Dillinger airstrip. Both men aboard the aircraft are presumed to have perished in the crash.
The pilot has been identified as 45-year-old Jason Tucker from Wasilla, Alaska, and the passenger as 44-year-old Nicolas Blace from Chugiak, Alaska. The identity of the stranded hunter has not been disclosed.
Brooke Merrell, the superintendent of Denali National Park and Preserve, expressed her condolences, stating, "Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those involved as we work through this response."
Despite the next of kin being notified, the recovery of the bodies has been hindered by hazardous terrain and poor weather conditions. The agency highlighted the challenges, including the 460-foot length of the short-haul line, inadequate helicopter rotor clearance due to the narrow width of the ravine, loose rock lining both walls of the ravine, and the lack of shoreline for miles above and below the rapidly flowing creek at the base of the ravine.
The National Park Service indicated that any recovery efforts, if deemed feasible, would necessitate a complex and potentially high-risk ground operation.
An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived on Friday and deployed a drone into the ravine to assess the wreckage. The cause of the aircraft crash remains undetermined.
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