Anchorage Daily News

Day three of a U.S. Coast Guard-led search for a Japanese hot-air balloonist missing over a remote stretch of the North Pacific Ocean has turned up no clues.

The Coast Guard plans to send out another rescue plane looking for him tonight.

Michio Kanda, traveling solo in a balloon between Tochigi, Japan and Portland, Ore., was reported missing on Thursday morning.

Kanda, 58, launched his trip Wednesday morning in Japan, hoping to break records for world distance and flight duration, a member of his flight-support team said.

His trip, if successful, would span nearly 5,600 miles.

Kanda is the father of three children and a supervisor at a government factory that makes school lunches, according to the team member.

His last known position was 435 miles south of Adak.

Two Coast Guard cutters are traveling to that area, en route from the Bering Sea and Kodiak.

A C-130 Hercules rescue plane flew over the region early Saturday morning but didn't detect anything.

A Saturday afternoon rescue plane search had to be canceled because of mechanical problems, Coast Guard Petty Officer Jesami Statesir said.

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