Russel Brown Missing Person Case

Jun 09, 2015

Mar 13, 2024

Russel

Brown

90

37

White / Caucasian

Male

On October 16, 1972, a twin-engine Cessna 310C carrying four men vanished while flying from Anchorage to Juneau, Alaska. At the controls was the 37-year-old pilot, Russel LeRoy Brown, identified in some reports as Don Jonz. His passengers were U.S. House Majority Leader Hale Boggs of Louisiana, Alaska Congressman Nick Begich, and a Begich aide, Russell Brown. The men were en route to a campaign fundraiser for Begich. The flight departed from Anchorage International Airport at approximately 9:00 a.m. into what were described as, at best, marginal flying conditions with turbulence, rain, and low visibility. The last known position of the aircraft, tail number N1812H, was in the vicinity of the Malaspina Glacier in the Wrangell-St. Elias mountains, after which it disappeared without a trace. The disappearance prompted one of the most extensive and largest search and rescue operations in American history. Over a period of 39 days, a massive fleet of aircraft from the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, Army, Air Force, and the Civil Air Patrol, along with civilian volunteers, scoured an immense area of Alaska's rugged wilderness. The intensive search covered thousands of square miles of unforgiving terrain, including mountains and glaciers, but was ultimately fruitless. On November 24, 1972, the official air search was suspended. No wreckage, debris, or any sign of the four occupants has ever been discovered. The complete absence of any evidence has left the fate of Russel Brown and his passengers an enduring mystery. All four men were officially declared dead on December 29, 1972. In the years since the disappearance, speculation about the cause has ranged from the plane icing up in the poor weather to more sinister, unproven theories of sabotage and conspiracy. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded its investigation by stating there was insufficient evidence to determine a probable cause. The case remains a poignant reminder of the perils of aviation in the vast and often unforgiving Alaskan landscape, a tragedy that claimed the lives of four men and left their families with unanswered questions that persist to this day.

Oct 16, 1972

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

No

31577

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

C72011519

1972-10-16

Alaska State Troopers

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

07/06/2026