Dillingham

Location and Climate Dillingham is located at the extreme northern end of Nushagak Bay in northern Bristol Bay, at the confluence of the Wood and Nushagak Rivers. It lies 327 miles southwest of Anchorage, and is a 6 hour flight from Seattle. The community lies at approximately 59.039720° North Latitude and -158.457500° West Longitude.  (Sec. 21, T013S, R055W, Seward Meridian.)   Dillingham is located in the Bristol Bay Recording District.  The area encompasses 33.6 sq. miles of land and 2.1 sq. miles of water.  The primary climatic influence is maritime, however, the arctic climate of the Interior also affects the Bristol Bay coast.

Three hunters on snowmachines were rescued Friday night after bad weather separated the group. Alaska State Troopers say the snowmachiners were hunting just east of Dillingham, near the Little McClung River. Bobby McCarr, 57, his 16-year-old son Joshua and 58-year-old Curtis Abalama were hunting in the area when Joshua was separated from the other two men. He was able to notify his mother, who contacted troopers. Ground search-and-rescue teams from Dillingham and Aleknagik began a search.

The youngest survivor of the plane crash near Dillingham headed home Sunday. A spokesperson for the Phillips family said 13-year-old Willy Phillips was released from Providence Alaska Medical Center.  The Phillips family, including Willy Phillips, flew back to Maryland. On Friday they will hold a funeral for Willy's father, Bill Phillips, who died in the crash. Three survivors are still in the hospital. A spokesperson for Providence said former NASA chief Sean O'Keefe is in serious condition.

Survivors of the Monday plane crash near Dillingham that killed five people, including former Sen. Ted Stevens, are speaking to National Transportation Safety Board investigators about what happened on that doomed flight. Investigation crews have begun removing wreckage from the crash site. Also, a medical examiner released results of the autopsies performed on the crash victims, ruling they were killed by blunt-force trauma during the crash -- meaning that rescuers arriving any sooner would not have made a difference.

Family and friends of the pilot who died in the Aug. 9 plane crash near Dillingham that also killed former Sen. Ted Stevens and three other people remembered him Thursday night. A celebration of life for Terry Smith was held at 5 p.m. at the Alaska Airlines hangar. A family spokesperson says many from the aviation community are there to share stories and remember who he was. Smith retired in 2007 as a chief pilot from a 28-year career at Alaska Airlines. The airline's Alaska senior vice president will also attend the service.

Dillingham's fire and police departments are responding Friday evening to a tundra fire, according to local authorities. Dispatchers in Dillingham say many members of both departments are at the scene, which Channel 2 viewers describe as near the Kanakanak Hospital. No immediate details were available on the incident, because responders hadn't yet returned from the field. This is a developing story. Please check KTUU.com and the Channel 2 newscasts for updates. Contact Chris Klint

Alaska National Guard aircraft are searching for a cargo plane reported overdue to Dillingham Friday morning with two people on board, after weather prevented a ground search. Alaska National Guard spokesperson Kalei Rupp says low cloud cover is keeping search planes from examining the site of an emergency locator beacon signal about 20 miles northeast of Dillingham, apparently from the ACE Air Cargo Beech 1900. "We are at the scene, but we can't see the ground," Rupp said. A Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Kodiak failed to find the aircraft and headed back Friday afternoon.

Alaska State Troopers have identified a Dillingham pilot who is presumed dead after witnesses saw his plane crash on Tikchik Lake Sunday afternoon. According to a Tuesday AST dispatch, 71-year-old Albert Newton “Newt” Ball's 1944-model G-44 Grumman Widgeon was found in roughly 40 feet of water at about 6 p.m. Tuesday. He was believed to have been the aircraft's sole occupant. A hunting guide told Dillingham troopers at about 5:15 p.m. Sunday that he and a hunter saw Ball's Widgeon flip while landing and sink in the lake, with nobody escaping from the plane.

The family of two passengers on board the plane that crashed near Dillingham Aug. 9, Bill Phillips and his son Willy, released a statement to the public Saturday. Bill Phillips, who served for five years on the staff of former Sen. Ted Stevens, died in the crash with Stevens. Willy Phillips, 13, survived and remains hospitalized for injuries he sustained in the crash. In a written statement, the family thanked rescuers and GCI employees for their support and concern, as well as Alaskans who helped comfort them during what they say is a painful time.

A search-and-rescue effort near Dillingham Sunday night ended with the safe recovery of a 14-year-old girl who had walked more than four miles, after Alaska State Troopers say her stolen snowmachine got stuck. A Wednesday AST dispatch on the case says the girl called troopers to report her situation at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday. “During a short, broken and emotional phone call, the girl was determined to be lost while operating a snowmachine between Dillingham and Manokotak and her clothing was wet,” troopers wrote.

ASAA 1A & 2A Basketball Tournament, Sullivan Arena Tuesday's Semifinals 1A Girls Cook Inlet Academy def. Newhalen, 44-27 Nikolaevsk def. Aniak, 60-29 Championship Game 2:00 Wednesday 2A Girls Dillingham def. Point Hope, 43-42 Craig def. Glennallen, 39-29 Championship Game 6:30 Wednesday 1A Boys Klawock def. King Cove, 62-37 Noorvik def. Lumen Christi, 61-49 Championship Game 4:00 Wednesday 2A Boys Hooper Bay def. Dillingham, 43-42 Metlakatla def. Bristol Bay, 42-39 Championship Game 8:30 Wednesday              

A Manokotak man shot and killed a Village Public Safety Officer late Tuesday afternoon in Manokotak about 25 miles southwest of Dillingham, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers alleged 42-year-old Leroy B. Dick Jr. of shooting 54-year-old Thomas O. Madole around 5 p.m. Tuesday. Troopers flew into the community within an hour of receiving the report. Madole was found dead outside of a home "of an apparent gunshot wound," according to troopers. AST found Dick Jr. near Madole's body and troopers said Dick Jr. turned himself in. He was placed in custody at the Dillingham jail, pending charges of murder in the first degree.

ASAA Basketball Tournament--Sullivan Arena Monday's 1A Girls Quarterfinals Newhalen def. Huslia, 52-41 Cook Inlet Academy def. Klawock, 46-37 Aniak Def. Koliganek, 37-34 Nikolaevsk def. Alak, 53-50  Monday's 1A Boys Quarterfinals Klawock def. Noatak, 66-63, 2OT King Cove def. Toksook Bay, 65-51 Noorvik def. New Stuyahok, 55-37 Lumen Christi def. Scammon Bay, 66-39   Monday's 2A Girls Quarterfinals Point Hope def. Nenana, 59-34 Dillingham def. Metlakatla, 50-37 Craig def. Unalakleet, 39-21 Glennallen def.

The National Transportation Safety Board says a cargo plane that crashed near Dillingham, leaving both of the Anchorage men flying it dead, was under an instrument flight rules flight plan when it “impacted rising terrain” Friday morning. According to a preliminary NTSB report, the Beech 1900C operated by ACE Air Cargo crashed after its crew told Federal Aviation Administration personnel they were on approach to Dillingham. Alaska State Troopers named the men on board last week as pilot Jeff Day, 38, and first officer Neil Jensen, 21. The instrument flight rules called for in the aircraft's flight plan, which involve flying by instrument and navigational data, are usually used when weather makes it unsafe to fly an aircraft visually.

Alaska State Troopers say the bodies of two Anchorage pilots in a cargo plane crash near Dillingham were recovered Saturday morning by the Alaska Air National Guard. AST identified the victims of the downed plane as Capt. Jeff Day, 38, and First Officer Neil Jensen, 21, both of Anchorage. Troopers said that an Air National Guard HH -60 Pavehawk found the wreckage of a downed Beech 1900 plane around 6:00 a.m. Saturday. A helicopter crew recovered the bodies and flew them to Dillingham and then to Anchorage.

Alaska National Guard aircraft are searching for a cargo plane reported overdue to Dillingham Friday morning with two people on board, after weather prevented a ground search. Alaska National Guard spokesperson Kalei Rupp says low cloud cover is keeping search planes from examining the site of an emergency locator beacon signal about 20 miles northeast of Dillingham, apparently from the ACE Air Cargo Beech 1900. "We are at the scene, but we can't see the ground," Rupp said. A Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Kodiak failed to find the aircraft and headed back Friday afternoon.

Many Alaskans need a little help paying bills, things like rent, electricity or food assistance. The United Way of Anchorage says through their 211 statewide phone referral system, one-third of their calls were for those basic needs. It's active listening at its finest. With Alaska's 211 statewide health and human service phone system, specialists figure out what Alaskans need and get them to the right people that can help them.  “It's through a series of questions, and there's such value in that because we all know when somebody needs help or they are under stress, they may not be thinking of the full picture,” said Sue Brogan of the United Way of Anchorage.

On Friday, Governor Sean Parnell appointed Judge Joel Bolger to the Alaska Supreme Court following the retirement of Justice Walter “Bud” Carpeneti. Judge Bolger served on the Alaska Court of Appeals in Anchorage and will be the 23rd justice to the state's highest court. Bolger was appointed as a district court judge in Valdez in 1997 and a stint to the Kodiak Superior Court. Bolger moved to the state in the late 70's and began a legal career in Dillingham as a VISTA volunteer attorney after receiving his education from the University of Iowa.

The Unalakleet Wolfpack won the first ASAA volleyball title in school history on Saturday night with a 25-19, 25-16, 25-23 win over Noatak in the finals of the Mixed 6 Championship.  Unalakleet did not drop a game in the three-day tournament. Prevailing in the ASAA 2A girls championship was Dillingham, in four games over Craig.  The Wolverines captured their first 2A crown 19-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-23.