When a Cessna 182 airplane disappeared near Juneau in 2008, a 10-day search over an area of 1,000 square miles yielded no results.<\/p>\n
Nine years later, the plane was finally found, just a mile and a half from its last known location.<\/p>\n
The plane carried 56-year-old Brian Andrews and his 24-year-old son Brandon Andrews. Brian was the deputy commissioner for the Alaska Department of Revenue at the time. The plane remained missing from Aug. 9, 2008 until this past Wednesday, when a hunter reported that he and friends found the wreckage and human remains inside.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, representatives from the Alaska State Troopers, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), U.S. Forest Service, the Federal Aviation Administration and Juneau Mountain Rescue went to the site, located about a mile and a half away from Young Lake on Admiralty Island.<\/p>\n
They were able to confirm that the wreckage belonged to the Andrews flight, and they removed the remains from the site. The state medical examiner will now inspect the remains to positively identify the remains. Troopers released a photograph of the site Monday morning, revealing what was left of the weather-beaten plane.<\/p>\n
Brent Andrews, son of Brian and brother of Brandon, provided a statement in the form of a blog post Saturday night saying the discovery brought about “mixed emotions.” He said he first heard the news of the discovery from longtime friends in Juneau.<\/p>\n
“It was a gift to hear the news first from a Juneau family that I absolutely have the highest esteem and love for,” Brent wrote, “and this has comforted my mom, sister and closest friends as well.”<\/p>\n