No sources have indicated that either the bodies of McLeod, Alletto, and the Spradlin brothers were ever found, or if they were officially declared dead. Missing NPF will list Seth Spradlin as "Cold Case (Missing)". We will continue monitoring this listing for any updates.
The single engine floatplane, a deHavilland Beaver operated by Branch River Air Service in King Salmon, carried the pilot and three National Park Service maintenance employees and has been missing since Saturday afternoon, August 21, 2010. The missing employees are Mason McLeod, 26, and two brothers, Neal Spradlin, 28; and Seth Spradlin, 20. The pilot is Marco Alletto, 47, from King Salmon.
Searchers have returned to the northeast part of the 4 million acre national park, particularly the several river valleys that drain into Kamishak Bay. The expectation was that the plane would have flown up one of the valleys, then along Kulik Lake west toward King Salmon. The weather in the primary search area today is excellent, with largely clear skies and excellent visibility.
The search began late Saturday afternoon after the Beaver failed to return to King Salmon. Two planes owned by Branch River Air Service in King Salmon flew to Swikshak Lagoon on Saturday to pick up an NPS maintenance crew working there preparing for the reconstruction of an old ranger station. Three people were picked up by the Beaver at 1:45 p.m., and a second plane left Swikshak 15 minutes later. The second plane, with two employees and pilot on board, returned safely but had to fly much of the way 500 feet above ground level due to deteriorating weather conditions.
An emergency response was initiated through the Rescue Coordination Center on Saturday afternoon. A C-130 from Anchorage and a Coast Guard helicopter searched the area until 11 p.m. Saturday, but found nothing.|
There have been no radio or emergency locator transmitter transmissions.
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Personal Characteristics
Male
20 years old
Professional Affiliation: FEDERAL / STATE
Investigative Overview
Foul Play Suspected: Unknown / Undisclosed
Suspected Suicide: Unknown / Undisclosed
Cause of Death: Unknown / Unreported / Missing
Significant Dates
Reported missing on August 21, 2010 - 4860 days, 14 hours, 12 minutes ago
This case file was posted on
Jun 18, 2021 at 06:36
This case file was last modified on
Jun 22, 2021 at 18:18
This case file has been assigned the Missing Persons ID 4844
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Judaea Rojo
July 10, 2021 at 11:04 pm9/28/21 Update: Wreckage of a floatplane that was carrying three national park maintenance employees, and one piolet, has been found. More here: https://www.jacksonville.com/article/20100929/NEWS/801244065
Judaea Rojo
July 10, 2021 at 11:03 pm9/3/10 Update: The NPS announced they will scale back search efforts for missing floatplane. More here: https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/news/scales-back-search.htm
Judaea Rojo
July 10, 2021 at 11:01 pm8/23/10 Update: Search continues for three missing National Park maintenance employees, and one piolet. More here: https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/news/katmai-missing-plane-3.htm