A Juneau-bound floatplane on Sunday crashed on takeoff from a cove by Chichagof Island in Southeast Alaska, and no one was injured, the NTSB’s Alaska chief said.
Eight people were onboard the float-equipped Cessna 208, including seven passengers and one pilot, said Clint Johnson with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The aircraft was operated by Alaska Seaplanes, and the regional commuter airline said it had resumed normal flight operations after a pause to examine the crash circumstances.
[Plane crashes into Lake Iliamna in Southwest Alaska with 7 on board; minor injuries reported]
Around 11:45 a.m. Sunday, the aircraft was attempting to leave Elfin Cove when it “had an accident upon takeoff and ended up on the shoreline,” Alaska Seaplanes said. The passengers and crew “were picked up by a boat and are back in Elfin Cove,” the airline said early Sunday afternoon.
The plane sustained substantial damage, according to Johnson, and the NTSB is investigating the crash, including what may have caused it.
Alaska Seaplanes has a hub in Juneau, which is roughly 70 miles east of Elfin Cove, and serves communities across Southeast Alaska.