Fishing Lodge Plane Crashes In Bristol Bay’s Lake Iliamna; Everyone Is OK Save For Minor Injuries

Thankfully there were only minor injuries in the accident. Here’s more from the Anchorage Daily News:

The float-equipped de Havilland Beaver DHC-2 operated by Newhalen Lodge crashed on takeoff, said Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska chief.

Everyone was able to get out of the plane after it crashed into the water, Johnson said Sunday. Seven people, including the pilot, were in the water while the aircraft sank, troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain said.

Fairbanks dispatch, troopers in Dillingham, the village of Kokhanok and local lodges coordinated to mount a response, according to troopers. Around 7 p.m., “all passengers were loaded into skiffs and taken to the clinic in Kokhanok,” troopers said.

Here’s the full Alaska State Troopers dispatch on the incident:

AK22063908

Location: Dillingham

Type: Plane Crash

Dispatch Text:

On 6/25/22 at 6:20pm Fairbanks AST dispatch received a report of a plane crash in Lake Illiamna approximately a half mile off shore from the Village of Kokhanok. The plane was reported to be sinking and 7 passengers were in the water.  Troopers in Dillingham along with Fairbanks dispatch coordinated with the Village of Kokhanok and multiple lodges in the area for a response. At approximately 6:58pm all passengers were loaded into skiffs and taken to the clinic in Kokhanok with only minor injuries being reported at the time. The NTSB and FAA were notified of this incident.