Republished January 31, 2019 - 10:01 PM
Original Publication Date January 31, 2019 - 10:56 AM
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An air ambulance with three people aboard that vanished in Alaska was presumed to have crashed and the owners said Thursday that they will look for the bodies of the crew.
After an air and sea search of hundreds of square miles, the Coast Guard announced it was suspending the search for the twin-engine King Air 200, which went missing Tuesday while heading to the tiny community of Kake to pick up a patient.
"This was an extensive search effort in some very challenging conditions," said Coast Guard Capt. Stephen White in a statement. "Suspending a search for any reason is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make."
A wing part and other aircraft debris were found near the plane's last known position.
The Coast Guard couldn't confirm whether it came from the missing plane.
However, Guardian Flight, the medical flight company that owns the plane, announced late Thursday that it will try to recover the bodies of the missing: pilot Patrick Coyle, 63; flight nurse Stacie Rae Morse, 30, and 43-year-old Margaret Langston, the flight paramedic.
All were based in Juneau.
"Our hearts are heavy, and we respectfully offer our deepest thoughts and prayers to our lost employees and their families," Randy Lyman, a company vice-president, said in a statement.
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News from © The Associated Press, 2019