Craig Layson Missing Person Case

Aug 21, 2018

Jan 12, 2024

Craig

Layson

65

58

69 inches

190 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On August 4, 2018, 58-year-old Craig Steven Layson, a male pilot from Michigan with 42 years of flying experience, departed from Talkeetna, Alaska, on a sightseeing tour over Denali National Park. He was piloting a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver aircraft operated by K2 Aviation, carrying four tourists from Poland. The planned one-hour flight was meant to showcase the region's glaciers and Denali Base Camp before returning to Talkeetna. Tragically, the plane never completed its journey. At approximately 6 p.m., the aircraft crashed on a high, knife-edge ridge of Thunder Mountain, about 14 miles from the summit of Denali. The wreckage came to rest in a crevasse at an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet. In the hour following the crash, Layson was able to make two satellite phone calls to K2 Aviation's office. In the first brief call, he reported that the plane had impacted a mountain and they needed rescue. After several more attempts by the office to reconnect, a second call went through. During this communication, Layson stated that he was trapped in the wreckage and that there were at least two fatalities among the passengers before the connection was lost again. It is believed that all five occupants initially survived the crash but succumbed to their injuries and the harsh conditions before rescuers could arrive. The plane was equipped with survival gear, including sleeping bags, a stove, and food. Search and rescue operations were launched promptly, but severe weather and challenging terrain, including low clouds and rain, significantly hampered efforts for two days. When a break in the weather finally occurred, a National Park Service ranger was lowered by helicopter to the crash site. The ranger confirmed four deceased individuals inside the aircraft but could not locate the fifth due to the encroaching weather. Four days later, another mission allowed a ranger to spend more time at the site and locate the fifth victim. Due to the extreme danger of the location—a near-vertical, crevasse-laden area with unstable snow and ice—officials determined that it was not feasible to recover the bodies or the wreckage. The site was deemed too hazardous for recovery crews, with the aircraft broken in half and at risk of falling further down the glacier. The overview of this case is that of a scenic flight that ended in a devastating crash in a remote and unforgiving environment, where severe weather and treacherous conditions ultimately prevented the recovery of the victims.

Aug 04, 2018

Talkeetna

Alaska

Matanuska-Susitna Borough

No

40652

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

AK18055502

2018-08-04

Alaska State Troopers

na

Brown

Blue

Blue

07/20/2026