High-ranking Alaska Air Force officer among 2 presumed dead in Kenai Peninsula plane crash

Air Force Col. Mark “Tyson” Sletten, seen during a 2021 sojourn to Colony Glacier during ongoing betterment efforts for remains from a 1952 subject cargo level crash. Sletten is presumed dormant successful a June 18, 2024 civilian level clang connected Crescent Lake successful nan Kenai Peninsula. (From U.S. Air Force)

The head of operations for nan U.S. military’s Alaskan Command is 1 of two men presumed dead aft a mini level collapsed Tuesday connected nan Kenai Peninsula, subject officials said.

Air Force Col. Mark “Tyson” Sletten, 46, was connected committee nan Piper PA-18 Super Cub that collapsed into Crescent Lake, according to a statement from nan Alaskan Command. Sletten had flown combatant jets for years, including F-16 Fighting Falcons astatine Air Force bases successful Fairbanks and New Mexico, according to subject reports.

Federal investigators opportunity Sletten was connected an instructional formation Tuesday, learning to alert a floatplane. The different personification onboard was coach Paul Kondrat, 41, of Utah.

The plane was owned by Moose Pass-based Scenic Mountain Air and operated by a sister company, Alaska Float Ratings, according to nan National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska chief, Clint Johnson. Staff astatine Scenic Mountain Air declined to remark connected nan clang by telephone Thursday.

According to Alaska State Troopers, nan formation had near Moose Pass, astir 30 miles northbound of Seward, and was group to return there.

The NTSB was informed astatine astir 2:30 p.m. Tuesday that nan level had collapsed into nan lake, Johnson said. A brace of hikers successful nan area later told him they had seen nan Super Cub making a bid of touch-and-go landings connected Crescent Lake. 

“On nan past one, each we cognize astatine this constituent correct now is nan airplane entered into a nose-low altitude and struck nan aboveground of nan water,” Johnson said.

An first hunt recovered only portion of 1 of nan plane’s floats, according to Johnson. The reservoir is estimated to beryllium 200 to 300 feet deep.

“Unfortunately, aft nan accident, nan mostly of nan wreckage sank,” Johnson said. “And we’ve been successful betterment mode, on pinch nan Alaska State Troopers astatine this constituent correct now to hopefully retrieve that wreckage from nan depths of Crescent Lake.”

Troopers were coordinating an ongoing betterment effort for nan level and those connected committee Thursday, according to agency spokesperson Austin McDaniel. Military craft were providing carrier to nan distant area, pinch remotely operated vehicles, sonar and divers from nan nonprofit Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team examining nan lake.

McDaniel said it’s not different to person subject support for a betterment effort for illustration Thursday’s, fixed nan robust subject beingness crossed nan state.

NTSB investigators haven’t recovered immoderate motion that nan level made a distress telephone earlier it crashed, Johnson said. Although accusation connected what happened is presently limited, nan subject assistance has heightened investigators’ hopes to analyse nan plane.

“We are very hopeful that we’re going to beryllium capable to spot this wreckage again,” he said. “And arsenic soon arsenic that wreckage is onshore connected barren land, our investigative squad will motorboat to nan site.”