On January 9, 2007, retired Alaska State Trooper Colonel Randy E. Crawford, 52, was piloting a cargo plane that went down in Cook Inlet. Crawford was flying a gray and blue Cessna 207, tail number N9941M, for Air Supply Alaska. He was transporting groceries from Kenai to the village of Kokhanok at the time of the incident. At approximately 11 a.m., Crawford radioed the air traffic control in Kenai to report engine trouble. Shortly after this communication, contact was lost.
His last known position was about 12 miles northwest of Kenai. The weather at the time included areas of dense fog and temperatures below zero.
The aircraft was discovered floating in the ice-filled waters near the western shore of Cook Inlet later that day. A nearby oil tanker, the Seabulk Nevada, was able to lift the plane from the water using a crane. An inspection of the recovered Cessna revealed a catastrophic engine failure. The pilot's side door was found open, and his seatbelt was unfastened, but Randy Crawford was not inside the aircraft. At the time of his disappearance, he was believed to be wearing a brown parka with a hood, a long-sleeve wool shirt, Carhartt pants, long insulated underwear, and leather boots with a baseball cap.
Despite search and rescue efforts, Randy Crawford was never located. The official investigation concluded that the cause of the crash was a total loss of engine power, which led to the aircraft ditching in the icy waters of the Cook Inlet. The search for Crawford was extensive but ultimately unsuccessful, and he is presumed to be deceased. The case remains a somber reminder of the perils of aviation in the rugged Alaskan environment, leaving friends, family, and former colleagues to mourn the loss of a dedicated public servant.Last Seen: Jan 9, 2007
