APRIL 16, 2026 — The Coast Guard rescued three adults and one child from an 18-foot vessel trapped on an ice floe approximately 10 miles west of Chefornak, Sunday.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Arctic District command center received a report at 4:24 p.m. Saturday from the Alaska State Troopers that a group of four people on a subsistence seal hunting expedition required assistance after being trapped on the ice for over 24 hours.
The hunting party freed the vessel from the ice overnight and attempted to reach a shore party which had come from the village with snow machines. However, moving ice prevented the vessel from reaching the shore party.
Coast Guard watchstanders directed the launch of both an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew and an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak to respond.
The helicopter aircrew arrived on scene at approximately 5 a.m. Sunday after making stops in both King Salmon and Bethel to refuel.
All four people were safely hoisted into the helicopter and transported back to the village of Chefornak with no reported injuries.
“Our entire crew agreed this was one of the most challenging missions any of us had ever flown,” said Lt. Cmdr. Alexis Chavarria-Aguilar, pilot-in-command for the helicopter. “We battled nearly every Alaska-centric aviation weather hazard imaginable, such as flying over 800 miles in near-zero visibility through mountainous terrain, blowing snow and icing conditions. The teamwork was on full display during the recovery of the survivors. It was a long, difficult night, but I’m so proud of everyone involved who worked seamlessly together to bring four people home safely.”
The hunting party had three forms of communication on board, including satellite-based communications, which greatly enhanced the Coast Guard’s ability to locate and rescue them.
Weather on scene at the time of the rescue was: 28-degree air temperature, 29-mph winds, 800-foot cloud ceiling, and 9 miles of visibility.
Coast Guard Arctic District Public Affairs