The 77-year-old, 8,000 hour pilot-owner of a Cessna 182, accompanied by his wife, flew from Anchorage to Juneau, Alaska, on a July afternoon. The couple was in the process of moving to Hoonah, about 31 nm west-southwest of Juneau; the ostensible purpose of this trip was to position the 182 there before the start of winter. The pilot’s wife intended to return to Anchorage, but the 505 nm IFR trip took longer than expected, and her Alaska Airlines flight was taxiing out when they arrived. She rebooked for the following morning, and the couple then flew over to Hoonah for the night.
Her flight back to Anchorage was to depart at 7:28 a.m. At 6:43 a.m., the local controller at Juneau received a call from the pilot, reporting 10 miles southwest for landing. The controller told him to report four miles out. A moment later, a faint ELT signal was picked up in the tower and also at the Juneau Flight Service Station.
