Albert Novak Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

Dec 26, 2023

Albert

Novak

84

62

73 inches

185 lbs

Uncertain

Male

On a summer day in Alaska, June 25, 2003, 62-year-old Albert "Bert" Novak, an experienced pilot from Soldotna, embarked on what should have been a routine flight. He was piloting a Cessna 180, registration number N91303, carrying two passengers, James and Pamela Hawthorne, who were teachers from Florida vacationing in the vast wilderness. Their journey began at Hallo Bay, a remote and scenic area within Katmai National Park, with their destination set for Homer, a flight of about an hour across the often-unpredictable waters of the Cook Inlet. The group had departed from the Hallo Bay Bear Lodge around 2:30 p.m., but as the afternoon wore on and their estimated arrival time of 4:00 p.m. passed, a profound sense of unease began to settle in. When the aircraft never reached Homer, it was officially declared overdue, triggering an immediate and extensive search. The response to the overdue plane was swift and massive, reflecting the tight-knit nature of the Alaskan aviation community. The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, a branch of the Alaska National Guard, took the lead in the operation. They were quickly joined by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Alaska State Troopers, and the Civil Air Patrol, creating a multi-agency force dedicated to finding the missing Cessna and its three occupants. Search teams scoured a vast and challenging area of nearly 7,000 square miles, encompassing remote islands, glaciers, dense rainforests, and the turbulent open waters of the Cook Inlet. For days, pilots and crew members flew countless hours, but their efforts yielded no sign of the plane itself. The search was officially suspended on July 2, 2003, after an exhaustive but fruitless effort to locate the aircraft. A somber discovery was made the following day when a fishing vessel found the body of Pamela Hawthorne in the waters near Anchor Point. An autopsy later confirmed that she had died from drowning. Despite the grim discovery of one of the passengers, the plane itself, along with Albert Novak and James Hawthorne, was never found. The National Transportation Safety Board presumes the aircraft collided with the ocean about seven miles southwest of Anchor Point, but without the wreckage, the exact cause of the crash remains unknown. No emergency locator beacon was ever detected from the aircraft, adding to the perplexing nature of the disappearance. The case stands as a painful reminder of the inherent risks of flying in Alaska's beautiful yet unforgiving landscape. The overview of the incident is one of a sudden and tragic loss; a scenic flight that ended in disaster, leaving behind unanswered questions and an enduring sense of grief for the families of Albert Novak and James Hawthorne, whose final resting place remains the vast, cold waters of the Cook Inlet.

Jun 25, 2003

Soldotna

Alaska

Kenai Peninsula Borough

No

77648

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

030047618

2003-06-25

Alaska State Troopers

8627

Brown

Brown

Brown

No

07/02/2026