Nekita Katelnikoff Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

Aug 25, 2023

Nekita

Katelnikoff

66

19

66 inches

150 lbs

American Indian / Alaska Native

Male

In the vast and often unforgiving landscape of Alaska, the story of Nekita Nick Katelnikoff's disappearance is a poignant reminder of the mysteries the wild can hold. On September 17, 1978, a date that would forever be etched in the memory of his loved ones, 19-year-old Nekita, an American Indian/Alaska Native male, boarded a flight in King Salmon with Kodiak as its destination. He was not alone on this journey; traveling with him were James Madsen Jr. and Marion Parker. The flight, a charter service operated by Viking Air Services, was aboard a twin-engine Cessna 411. For those on board, it was likely a routine flight over the Alaskan wilderness, a common mode of transportation in a state where distances are vast and roads can be scarce. As the Cessna 411 made its approach towards Kodiak, something went terribly wrong. The aircraft vanished, its last known position believed to be over the Shelikof Strait, a notoriously treacherous body of water separating Kodiak Island from the Alaskan mainland. An extensive search and rescue operation was launched in the days that followed, with hopes of finding the aircraft and its three occupants. Rescuers scoured the rugged coastline and the turbulent waters, but their efforts were in vain. No trace of the plane, Nekita Katelnikoff, James Madsen Jr., or Marion Parker was ever found. After days of fruitless searching, the difficult decision was made to suspend the operation, leaving the families of the missing in a painful state of uncertainty. The disappearance of Nekita Katelnikoff, along with James Madsen Jr. and Marion Parker, remains an unsolved case, a story without a final chapter. Due to the lack of any wreckage or evidence, the exact cause of the crash could never be determined. The Alaska State Troopers have an open investigation into the disappearance, but with no new leads, the case has grown cold over the decades. The families have been left to grapple with the profound sense of loss and the unanswered questions that have haunted them for years. The case serves as a somber illustration of the perils of air travel in remote regions and the enduring pain experienced by those whose loved ones vanish without a trace.

Sep 17, 1978

Dillingham

Alaska

Dillingham Census Area

No

77840

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

780001316

Alaska State Troopers

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/19/2026