The 11th Air Force’s Rescue Coordination Center has called off the eight-day-long official search for missing pilot Brendan Mattingley, who has not been seen since taking off from Soldotna on an Oct. 13 flight to Palmer.
Alaska National Guard spokesperson Maj. Guy Hayes says the decision was made under the authority of 11th Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Stephen Hoog to stop looking for Mattingley, whose green, red and white Piper PA-18 Super Cub never landed after taking off for the Wolf Lake airport near Palmer.
“The RCC requested assistance from multiple agencies during the intensive search, including the Alaska Air National Guard, Civil Air Patrol, Alaska State Troopers and U.S. Coast Guard, totaling 221 hours of flight time and 66 missions during the search efforts,” Hayes wrote in a Tuesday statement. “Volunteer search efforts were led simultaneously by family and friends, generating approximately 350 hours of flight time while utilizing 54 aircraft.”
While the volunteer flights aren’t considered official search data, Hayes says all leads that came up during the search were investigated. Private search efforts are expected to continue, and the RCC can reopen the case in response to new findings or information.
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