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Alaska Air National Guard Rescues Survivors from Small Plane Crash in Remote National Park
The Alaska Air National Guard rescued six survivors from a small plane crash in Lake Clark National Park, utilizing modern emergency locator technology.
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, ALASKA, UNITED STATES 08.27.2019 Photo by Capt. David Bedard 176th Wing
ANCHORAGE— A rescue helicopter crew and two pararescuemen from the Alaska Air National Guard successfully located and rescued six survivors from a small plane crash deep within Lake Clark National Park in early June. Among the survivors were two individuals with severe injuries.
The incident involved a de Havilland Beaver, a small passenger plane equipped with pontoons for water landings, which crashed near K’q’uya Vena (Kijik Lake), within the remote mountainous region approximately 100 miles west of Anchorage. The area is accessible only by air due to its isolated nature.
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Responding to a distress call from the Beaver’s pilot, the Air Guard crew, part of the 176th Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, utilized the plane’s emergency locator signal to pinpoint its location. Despite dense woodland terrain preventing a direct landing, the crew successfully inserted two pararescuemen, trained as paramedics, to assess and treat the injured occupants.
Subsequently, the HH-60 helicopter airlifted the four uninjured passengers to Port Alsworth, a nearby town on Lake Clark, while transporting the two severely injured individuals to a hospital in Anchorage for medical treatment.
An Alaska Air National Guard official noted that the swift location of the crash site was facilitated by the plane’s emergency beacon operating at 406 megahertz, which enables satellite detection and significantly narrows down the search area compared to older models operating at 121.5 megahertz.
The successful rescue operation underscores the critical role of modern emergency locator technology and the skill of Air National Guard personnel in responding to emergencies in Alaska’s rugged and remote wilderness.
