http://www.adn.com/article/20150717/coast-guard-responding-plane-crash-near-juneauAlaska News
Coast Guard responding to plane crash near Juneau
Nathaniel Herz,Tegan Hanlon
July 17, 2015
The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a report of a crashed plane operated by Juneau-based flight service Wings of Alaska. A post on the airline’s website said four passengers and a pilot were on the plane, a single-engine Cessna 207.
“There are confirmed survivors,” said Beth Ipsen, spokeswoman for Alaska State Troopers. A statement issued by Juneau Police said the conditions of all on board were “unknown.”
The emergency was phoned into Juneau police's 911 dispatch by a passenger on board the plane, who said “they had just been involved in a plane crash,” a statement from the Juneau Police Dept. said.
The emergency call, made at 1:26 p.m., said the flight had been en route from Juneau to Hoonah.
“The name of the 911 caller matched the name of one of the people listed on the missing plane,” Juneau police said. The conditions of the five people on board “is unknown,” the statement said.
Hoonah resident Sheryl Contreras said people in the village haven’t learned the identities of the plane’s passengers.
“Sitting on pins and needles right now to find out who was on the flight, and hoping everyone’s okay,” she said in a phone interview. “There are rumors going around, but trying to hold off on believing rumors until you hear the truth.”
She said Wings of Alaska was one of two airlines that flies between Hoonah and Juneau.
Coast Guard spokesman Kip Wadlow said an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Sitka and a cutter from Juneau were dispatched in response to the report of a downed small plane about 18 miles west of Juneau, near Point Couverden (sometimes called Point Couverton). Juneau police said troopers, several rescue groups including SeaDogs and Juneau Mountain Rescue, along with Capital City Fire Rescue, were staging in the area until the plane is located.
Hoonah is 40 air miles west of Juneau. A spokesman for Wings of Alaska said in an email that the Cessna took off from Juneau at 1:06 p.m. and had been scheduled to complete the short hop to Hoonah by 1:24 p.m.
The Coast Guard crews hadn't arrived by 3:30 p.m., Wadlow said in a phone interview, though he added they were expected to reach the scene “shortly.”
“The aircraft is known to be in rugged terrain, and rescue teams were dispatched immediately,” the airline spokesman said.
In messages posted to Twitter, Wings of Alaska said it “regrets to confirm that flight number 202 from Juneau, Alaska, to Hoonah, Alaska, has been involved in an accident.” The company said friends and family of the passengers can call 407-362-0632.
In the area of the crash, the National Weather Service reported rain, fog and reduced visibility, with cloud ceilings down to 400 feet.
Wings of Alaska is owned by SeaPort Airlines Inc. of Portland, Ore. Its president since 2007 is Rob McKinney, of Oregon, a pilot. The company also operates in Oregon, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas and California, according to a posting by McKinney on the LinkedIn website.
This is a developing story. Come back for updates.
Contact Tegan Hanlon at thanlon
alaskadispatch.com or on Twitter
