Brian Andrews, 08-09-08
Brandon Andrews

Coast Guard calls off search for deputy commissioner, son

PLANE DISAPPEARED: Brian and Brandon Andrews never returned to Juneau from camping trip.

Anchorage Daily News, August 20th, 2008

The search for a missing deputy commissioner and his son was suspended Tuesday after more than a week passed without a sign of their aircraft, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Deputy commissioner of the state Department of Revenue Brian Andrews, 56, and his 24-year-old son, Brandon, have been missing since Aug. 9.

Both experienced pilots, they were returning from a camping trip at Young Lake, about 20 miles southwest of Juneau and they dropped off one son in Juneau, returning to the lake to pick up camping gear. They never made it back to the capital, and searchers found the camp but no gear.

In the time since, searchers using sonar scoured the area by water and air but failed to turn up any sign of the men or their Cessna 182 floatplane despite covering more than 4,800 miles of land and water.

The search is suspended pending further developments. The Coast Guard continues to ask for help spotting the plane, which is white with red and silver trim, tail No. N935OX.