On a cold winter day, December 7, 2016, 45-year-old Scott Allen Blom, a male resident of the small, tight-knit community of Port Alsworth, Alaska, was preparing for a trip to Anchorage. He was not traveling alone; with him were his two youngest children, 14-year-old Kaitlyn and 13-year-old Zachary. The purpose of their journey was to attend the Mixed Six Volleyball State Championship, an event where their school, the Tanalian School, was competing.
Initially, the family had planned to take a commercial flight, but a last-minute change of plans saw them cancel their reservations to fly with a family friend, 25-year-old Kyle Longerbeam, in his single-engine Piper PA-28 Cherokee plane. The small aircraft only had room for four, so Scott's wife proceeded to Anchorage on the originally scheduled commercial flight, while their middle son, a member of the volleyball team, took a different flight. Their eldest son was already in Anchorage attending university.
The ninety-minute flight departed from Port Alsworth that morning, but the plane, with its four occupants, never reached its destination in Anchorage. Concern grew as the hours passed with no word, and it soon became apparent that something had gone terribly wrong. Authorities believe the aircraft went down in the frigid waters of Lake Clark. The day after the plane's disappearance, the grim discovery of some of the occupants' personal belongings, along with the plane's co-pilot seat and three of its wheels floating in the lake, confirmed the worst fears. The search and rescue operations that were launched were significantly hampered by the challenging Alaskan weather, including persistent ice fog and freezing temperatures, which made air and water searches difficult and dangerous.
Despite the efforts of search teams, the main wreckage of the aircraft and the four individuals on board have never been located. The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the incident, noting that while the weather was adequate for visual flight rules at the time of departure, there was reduced visibility, including low-lying freezing fog, along their intended flight path over Lake Clark. The pilot, Kyle Longerbeam, was not yet rated for instrument flight, which may have been a contributing factor. However, due to the lack of physical evidence, the official cause of the crash was ruled as 'undetermined.' The tight-knit community of Port Alsworth was left devastated by the loss of four of its members. Although they are presumed to be deceased, Scott Blom, his children Kaitlyn and Zachary, and their friend Kyle Longerbeam remain officially classified as missing as their bodies have never been recovered from the deep waters of Lake Clark.Last Seen: Dec 7, 2016
