A Ketchikan man suffered minor injuries Monday night when his floatplane crashed during an attempted takeoff from a lake on Prince of Wales Island, according to Alaska State Troopers.
An emergency locator transponder signal for 30-year-old Thomas McIntyre's plane, a Piper Pacer, was received by the U.S. Coast Guard from the Clover Lake area roughly 22 miles west of Ketchikan, troopers said in a dispatch.
"(McIntire) received minor injuries during a late aborted takeoff attempt when the aircraft struck the rocky shoreline, causing the onboard ELT to activate," troopers wrote. "McIntire declined medical assistance and was transported back to Ketchikan via USCG."
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was sent to the area from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka after Ketchikan-based Federal Aviation Administration staff reported losing contact with McIntyre at roughly 5:15 p.m., according to a Coast Guard statement.
"The helicopter crew located the plane wreckage on the shoreline of a lake on Prince of Wales Island, hoisted the man and transported him to Ketchikan airport, where he was met by awaiting emergency medical services personnel," Coast Guard officials wrote.
Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska chief, said the NTSB had been informed of the incident.