With hearts heavy with sorrow, we remember Cabot Pitts, 42, of Palmer, Alaska, and Connor Helsel, 18, of Michigan, whose lives were cut short in a plane crash in Alaska’s remote Wrangell Mountains.
The crash happened on Thursday evening, September 17, 2026, shortly after the Piper Cub took off from a dirt airstrip near Snag Creek, about 50 miles southeast of Nabesna. Alaska State Troopers received a report of the crash at approximately 7:51 p.m.
Both men were the only occupants of the aircraft and were confirmed deceased. The National Transportation Safety Board was notified and is investigating the cause of the crash. Early reports indicated there were no eyewitnesses and no immediate determination of what caused the aircraft to go down.
Pitts was the owner of Alaska Wild Wind Adventures and served as president of the Alaska Professional Hunters Association. People who knew him remembered his deep connection to Alaska’s wilderness and his work as a hunting guide and pilot.
Helsel, who was from Michigan, had traveled to Alaska to work with Pitts. His family remembered him as a young man who loved the outdoors and had hoped to pursue work as a guide while also pursuing youth ministry.
Their deaths have left families, friends, colleagues and members of the Alaska outdoor community mourning two lives that ended far too soon.
The investigation into the crash remains ongoing.
