VIDEO: A floatplane carrying four people crashed-landed Saturday afternoon near a bear-viewing area at Katmai National Park, hospitalizing the pilot and three passengers with โnon-criticalโ injuries, according to park officials. The Cessna 180 crashed around 2:30 p.m. Saturday due to unknown cause, according to a release from Matt Johnson with the park. The plane ended up near Brooks Camp, a popular bear-viewing spot in the park. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are both investigating, according to Clint Johnson, the Alaska region chief with NTSB.
Johnson said a rescue helicopter was launched Saturday by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center that took four victims to an Anchorage hospital, but didnโt have many more details other than the investigation is in the preliminary stages. Johnson said anyone who may have seen the incident can report it to [email protected], adding that the agency is looking to construct a โchronological listโ of how the crash took place. โ[Anyone that] observed engine noises, the approach, you know โ those are the types of things that weโll be asking them,” he said. โThe basics at this point.โ
