On May 3, 1992, 38-year-old Brian Thomas Barber was aboard a twin-engine Cessna 340, with tail number N69469, that departed from Yakutat, Alaska, on a trip destined for Anchorage. Also on the private flight were Jeffrey Roth, who was piloting the aircraft, Timothy Thornton, Kent Roth, and Scott Roth. The group was on an IFR flight, meaning they were navigating through weather conditions that required the use of aircraft instruments. The last communication received from the aircraft by FAA air-traffic controllers reported that the plane was level at its assigned altitude of 12,000 feet and was proceeding on instruments toward its destination.
Sometime after that final official radio transmission, all contact with the Cessna was lost. In a heart-wrenching turn of events, the wife of the pilot, Jeffrey Roth, later listened to the FAA air traffic control tapes. She stated that several minutes after what the FAA had identified as the last transmission, she heard her husband's voice mention something about '6,000' and 'icing conditions'. This crucial piece of information, however, could not be officially confirmed. An enhancement examination of the audio tapes was conducted by the FBI Laboratory, but it failed to validate the presence of this additional communication. The weather conditions along the flight path between the coastal community of Yakutat and Anchorage were described as instrument meteorological conditions, suggesting the aircraft may have been flying through clouds or other low-visibility weather.
The disappearance of the Cessna 340 and the five men on board prompted an extensive search, but no trace of the aircraft or its occupants has ever been found. The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the incident and, due to the complete lack of wreckage or any further evidence, was unable to determine the precise cause of the disappearance. The official probable cause of the accident is listed as a missing aircraft due to undetermined causes. The case of Brian Barber and the four other men remains one of Alaska's unsolved aviation mysteries, a somber reminder of the unforgiving nature of the vast and often treacherous Alaskan wilderness. The absence of any definitive findings has left the families of the missing with unanswered questions and a sense of loss that has endured for decades.
Last Seen: May 3, 1992
