Pilot injured in crash of small plane on Lake Hood runway

One person was taken to the hospital Saturday afternoon after a small plane crashed during takeoff from a Lake Hood runway in Anchorage, aviation and airport fire officials said.

The pilot was the sole occupant of the aircraft when it “crashed on departure” from Runway 32, said Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska chief. Johnson described the aircraft as a CubCrafters Super Cub, and said the crash was called in shortly after 2:30 p.m.

Dan Juarez, deputy chief of operations at Anchorage Airport Police and Fire, said the male pilot had “self-extricated before we got there,” describing a quick joint response with the Anchorage Fire Department. The pilot had sustained “some injuries” and was taken to the hospital, Juarez said.

The NTSB is investigating the crash, Johnson said.

On Saturday afternoon, emergency responders could be seen at the site of the crash on the runway. Juarez said that “there was a small fuel leak” that environmental responders had been contacted to mitigate, and efforts to clear the aircraft from the runway would occur in coordination with the NTSB.

Federal aircraft registry records indicate that aircraft model is a CubCrafters CC18-180, which resembles a Piper PA-18, and the U.S. Interior Department is listed as the registered owner of the aircraft.