Pilot hospitalized after rescue from downed plane near Juneau
- Mark Sabbatini
- 2 hours ago
- 1 min read
No other people were in the Ward Air plane that went down near Shelter Island on Thursday, according to U.S. Coast Guard
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
A Ward Air plane went down in Lynn Canal near Shelter Island on Thursday morning, with the pilot as the sole occupant hospitalized, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
"The Coast Guard was notified at 10:17 a.m. today of a downed Cessna plane with one person on board approximately 1.5 miles offshore Boy Scout Beach," Shannon Shepard, a USCG Arctic District spokesperson, wrote in an email to the Juneau Independent. She said the plane belonged to Ward Air, a Juneau-based charter company that flies throughout Southeast Alaska.
"The Coast Guard issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and launched a response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Juneau and a helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka. The pilot was recovered from the water by a Ward Air seaplane and taken to a hospital for medical care."
No information was provided about the pilot’s condition or the cause of the plane going down. Ward Air declined to comment on the crash Thursday.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
