Lituya Bay, pictured, is the site of a Friday helicopter crash that resulted in three people missing. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued one survivor, a 14-year-old boy. (Courtesy Photo | Mandy Lindeberg, NOAA/NMFS/AKFSC via Flickr)

Lituya Bay, pictured, is the site of a Friday helicopter crash that resulted in three people missing. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued one survivor, a 14-year-old boy. (Courtesy Photo | Mandy Lindeberg, NOAA/NMFS/AKFSC via Flickr)

Search suspended for helicopter crash victims

Anchorage boy identified as survivor, three still missing

After a day and a half of searching, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Sunday for three potential survivors of a helicopter crash near Lituya Bay, according to a Coast Guard release.

Alaska State Troopers identified the missing as 53-year-old Palmer resident David King, 42-year-old Anchorage resident Joshua Pepperd and 11-year-old Anchorage resident Andrew Pepperd. One survivor, 14-year-old Anchorage resident Aiden Pepperd, was found by the Coast Guard, according to the Troopers dispatch.

The Coast Guard, Alaska Air National Guard, SEADOGS and Civil Air Patrol searched a total of 788 square miles in 36 hours in the area of Lituya Bay, which is about 115 miles west of Juneau on the coast of the Gulf of Alaska. Aiden Pepperd showed signs of mild hypothermia when he was picked up, according to a Coast Guard release, and Capt. Darran J. McLenon, chief of response for the 17th Coast Guard District, said in an updated release that Aiden was still in an Anchorage hospital being evaluated.

“The Coast Guard prays for his full recovery and grieves with the family and friends of the crash victims,” McLenon said in the release.

Watchstanders in the Coast Guard 17th District command center in Juneau received word that the aircraft was overdue at about 6:30 p.m. Friday, according to a release Saturday. Air Station Sitka launched a helicopter crew at 8:15 p.m. Friday and searched the area near the last signal from the helicopter’s GPS locater. The crew located Aiden about 3 miles east of Lituya Bay, the release stated.

SEADOGS searchers found debris from the helicopter scattered along the shoreline and in the water south of Lituya Bay, according to the Troopers dispatch. Search efforts Sunday began at about 7 a.m., with a Coast Guard helicopter, a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter, the Coast Guard Cutter Bailey Carco from Ketchikan and two SEADOGS teams, according to the Troopers dispatch.

The helicopter that crashed was brand-new out of the factory, and was flying from Grand Prairie, Texas to Wasilla, according to the Coast Guard release. The pilot had 40 years of experience, the release stated.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash.


• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.


More in News

Bob Girt works with the Alaska Youth Stewards on Prince of Wales Island in 2022. (Photo courtesy of Bethany Goodrich / Sustainable Southeast Partnership)
Threads of the Tongass: Building a sustainable future

“These students can look back and say, ‘I helped build that. I was a contributor.’”

KTOO, Juneau's public radio station, is photographed in Juneau, Alaska, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Public radio facing cuts as Congress moves to pull back funding

KTOO could lose one-third of its budget if the House passes a bill cutting funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting

Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo
The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on Monday, April 14.
Ships in port for the week of July 19

This information comes from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska’s 2025 schedule.… Continue reading

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Thursday, July 17, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Ben Hohenstatt | Juneau Empire File)
Hiker rescued from gully at Eaglecrest

The woman got stuck in a gully after taking a wrong turn

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, July 16, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Dimond Courthouse in Juneau, Alaska, is seen in this undated photo. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file)
Juneau man pleads guilty to murder of infant

James White pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder of 5-and-half-week-old Kathy White

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Megan Dean shakes hands with the new Arctic District commander Rear Admiral Bob Little on Friday. Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, commander of the Pacific Area, smiles. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
US Coast Guard receives new commander, new name for Alaska

The Arctic District’s new icebreaker will visit Juneau next month

City and Borough of Juneau City Hall is photographed on July 12, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Juneau Empire file)
Municipal election candidate filing period opens July 18

The filing period runs from July 18 at 8 a.m. to July 28 at 4:30 p.m.

Most Read