Aviation

Beachcombers turn up pieces that may be from missing Alaska pilot's plane

Pilot Brendan Mattingley went missing after taking off from the Soldotna Airport in his red, white and green Piper PA-18 Super Cub on Oct. 13, 2012. Now, Alaska State Troopers and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) believe a wheel, and parts of the plane's landing gear, have washed up on Sitkinak Island, south of Kodiak.

According to NTSB Anchorage Office Chief Clint Johnson, the parts -- discovered Sept. 4 by beach combers -- have not yet been officially confirmed as belonging to the Super Cub, but they are working with the family to match serial numbers on the pieces. The parts do have distinctive colors that match Mattingley's plane, said troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters.

Peters added that if the serial numbers match, and the plane is the Super Cub that went missing with Mattingley, it gives investigators a better idea of where to look. She said it's likely the plane crashed into Cook Inlet. The NTSB reported that the last likely position of the plane, based on radar data, was about 30 miles north of Soldotna, in the middle of Cook Inlet. Sitkinak Island is more than 200 miles to the south.

The probability of more parts being recovered is unlikely. According to Peters, the beach the parts were discovered on is frequently visited by beach combers.

Troopers believe that Mattingley will never be found if his plane did crash into the ocean. The experienced pilot, and father of one, will be officially missing until he is found, dead or alive.

Mattingley flew down to the Kenai Peninsula with a group of fellow pilots from the Mat-Su Valley on Oct. 12. Friends who made the journey down with him said they intended to visit friends. The group went to a local hockey game and then bar-hopping.

"Around 12:30 am, Brendan was asked to leave Hooligans Bar," a self-described "close friend" said in a witness statement. "I walked him to an Alaska Cab taxi outside the bar and I requested that the driver take him to the Aspen Hotel in Soldotna. We intended to meet up in the morning."

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The witness later went on to add that it was the last time they ever saw Mattingly.

The bouncer from Hooligans, who kicked Mattingley out of the popular establishment, also filed a witness report. He said he saw Mattingley try and fight other customers. And when bartenders refused to serve him, he reportedly became aggressive.

When the taxi arrived, Mattingley decided he wanted to go to the airport instead, according to the driver of the taxi. He was going to sleep in his plane like he had done many times before. Then Mattingley asked that the driver not tell anyone where he was. When the taxicab driver asked why, Mattingley reportedly responded: "You don't want to know."

The official search was called off Oct. 23, 2012, but pilots from the flying community spent months searching for the Alaska man. Mattingley's family held a memorial ceremony for him in late December.

Contact Megan Edge at megan(at)alaskadispatch.com

Megan Edge

Megan Edge is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News.

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