Nicolas Blace Missing Person Case

Aug 29, 2023

Sep 28, 2023

Nicolas

Blace

46

44

72 inches

215 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the vast and unforgiving wilderness of Alaska, 44-year-old Nicolas Blace of Chugiak, embarked on what was to be a hunting expedition in August 2023. He, along with 45-year-old pilot Jason Tucker of Wasilla, boarded a Piper PA-18 Super Cub aircraft on August 9, 2023, with the destination being a remote airstrip near the Dillinger River. This area is located within the rugged terrain of Denali National Park and Preserve. The plan was for Tucker to transport Blace to the hunting site and then return to pick up another hunter. Unfortunately, the aircraft never arrived at its intended destination, and a search was initiated when the plane became overdue. The day after the aircraft was reported overdue, an Air National Guard flight located the wreckage in a narrow ravine north of the West Fork of the Yentna River. The steep and treacherous terrain of the crash site, identified as being at the bottom of a 500- to 600-foot ravine in an area also known as Shellabarger Pass, immediately presented significant challenges. The initial assessment from the air suggested that survival was unlikely. Denali National Park mountaineering rangers and other officials made multiple reconnaissance flights to the site to evaluate the possibility of a recovery operation. However, the extreme risks involved, including the steepness of the ravine, loose rocks, and rapidly flowing water, made any attempt to reach the wreckage exceedingly dangerous for rescue personnel. Subsequent investigation and recovery efforts were fraught with peril. A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator, along with park rangers, flew to a plateau above the ravine and used a drone to gather imagery of the wreckage and assess the terrain. The evidence gathered, including the lack of landing tracks at the intended airstrip and no communication from Blace, who was carrying an InReach device, led authorities to the heartbreaking conclusion that both men had perished in the crash. Despite considering various methods, including technical rope lowering and using a helicopter with a mechanical grabber, the hazardous conditions were deemed too great a risk to the lives of the recovery teams. With deep regret, officials announced that a recovery effort would not be attempted at that time, with the possibility of re-evaluation if environmental conditions, such as a frozen river, were to allow for safer access in the future. The case remains a tragic reminder of the inherent dangers of aviation in the remote Alaskan wilderness, leaving the families of Nicolas Blace and Jason Tucker to grapple with their unrecoverable loss.

Aug 09, 2023

Denali Park

Alaska

Matanuska-Susitna Borough

No

129057

National Park Service

Denali Park

Alaska

Denali Borough

99755

PO Box 9, Alaska

9076839555

Federal

Law Enforcement

NP23266546

2023-08-10

National Park Service

Blond/Strawberry

Blue

Blue

partial

07/19/2026