On August 16, 2011, 68-year-old Richard Lee Stoltzfus, a male pilot, vanished in the rugged wilderness of Yakutat, Alaska. He was piloting a Super Cub aircraft that went down near the mouth of the Seal River. The only other person on board was a passenger, John S. Dick. The plane was discovered smashed on the same day it is believed to have crashed, reportedly shortly after takeoff. The circumstances surrounding the crash itself are still under investigation.
Initial search efforts were launched in the remote and challenging terrain of the Seal River area. Tragically, five days after the crash, on August 21, 2011, the body of the passenger, John S. Dick, was spotted near the shore by a passing plane. This discovery confirmed the fatal nature of the crash but offered no solace as to the whereabouts of Stoltzfus. The official search for the missing pilot was concluded a few days later. Despite the termination of the official search, local pilots flying to nearby lodges or on fishing trips continued to keep an eye out, often taking detours or flying low in hopes of spotting any sign of the downed pilot.
The disappearance of Richard Stoltzfus remains an unresolved case for the Alaska State Troopers. With his passenger located deceased near the accident site, the focus of the mystery is what became of the 68-year-old pilot. Key questions persist: could he have survived the initial impact and wandered into the vast Alaskan wilderness, or was he also a victim of the crash, his remains simply never located? The unforgiving terrain and the passage of time have made finding answers increasingly difficult, leaving his case a lingering and sorrowful open question in the annals of Alaskan aviation incidents.
Last Seen: Aug 16, 2011
