Sutton pilot missing since Monday found deceased among plane wreckage

A Sutton man missing since his airplane was reported overdue on Monday was found dead Thursday afternoon.

Andy Andersen, 38, was located along with the aircraft wreckage at the top of Thompson Pass at about 2:15 p.m. by an Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter, according to the Alaska State Troopers. The plane Andersen, the lone occupant, was piloting was found about 1,000 feet from the Richardson Highway, troopers said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

Andersen was the pilot of a red and white Aeronica Champion airplane that left Valdez about 5 p.m. on July 11. Andersen had an expected arrival time of 6:30 p.m. in Sutton.

The Alaska State Troopers received the report and notified the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center. Search and rescue efforts were hampered in the early stages due to poor weather conditions, according to troopers. The AKRCC, Civil Air Patrol, US Coast Guard, AST and Alaska Army National Guard worked cooperatively on the search.

There was also a vast volunteer effort. An Andy Andersen Search and Rescue Coordination page was created on Facebook, and a GoFundMe account was set up to help with the costs of the rescue efforts.

Contact the Frontiersman at news@frontiersman.com.