A pilot who crashed his floatplane on the shore of a lake on Prince of Wales Island shortly after takeoff was rescued Monday by a U.S. Coast Guard crew.
Coast Guard 17th District command center watchstanders report that they received an electronic locator transmitter alert Monday evening for a Piper Tri-Pacer float plane.
ELTs instantly alert responders when there’s a crash, and provide GPS coordinates to assist in finding a downed aircraft.
According to the Coast Guard, watchstanders contacted Ketchikan Flight Service Station personnel, who reported that they last talked with the pilot at 5:15 p.m., but lost contact shortly after. A Sitka helicopter crew then was launched to search.
The helicopter crew located the wreckage, hoisted the man and transported him to the News TileKetchikan airport, where he was met by emergency medical services personnel.
No serious injuries were reported, and the response was officially closed by 10:30 p.m., according to the Coast Guard.
You can watch a video of the rescue here.
