Airline reports no injuries after plane damaged on runway in Alaska Peninsula community

A passenger plane was damaged after it struck a chunk of ice and frozen gravel after landing Friday morning in Chignik Lagoon, an official for the airline said.

The Lake Clark Air Beechcraft 99 airliner left Merrill Field Airport and landed in Chignik Lagoon just after 10 a.m., said Glen Alsworth Jr., chief pilot for the company.

“There was a chunk of ice and frozen gravel in the middle of the runway that wasn’t visible to the pilot until he was right on top of it,” Alsworth said.

The plane had traveled relatively far on the runway and was slowing down when it struck the ice, he said. The ice hit and broke the main gear, causing the plane to go down onto a wing, according to Alsworth.

Alsworth said no one was injured. He did not say how many people were on board during the crash, but said the regularly scheduled flight has an average of six to nine passengers.

Chignik Lagoon is a community of about 70 people located about 400 miles southwest of Anchorage off the Pacific Ocean on the Alaska Peninsula.

The plane sustained serious damage, but Alsworth said they won’t know the full extent until repairs begin.