A Kotzebue man survived the crash-landing of his plane July 28 just yards off the Haines Highway on the Canadian side of the border.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Haines Junction, Yukon, said the man was piloting a Cessna 105 in cloudy weather about 9 a.m. when the crash occurred at Kilometer 82. A motorist who passed the wreckage called from Canadian border services to report the crash. Emergency personnel from Haines responded and transported the pilot to the Haines clinic. He was then flown to Anchorage for treatment. According to the RCMP, the man suffered broken bones but is expected to recover.
The plane had left Whitehorse, Yukon, that morning, but it was unclear where the pilot was traveling to, according to RCMP. The Yukon News reported there were handwritten flight notes directing the pilot to Northway, Alaska, strewn beside the wreck.
The 42-year-old pilot was the only person on board. RCMP Sgt. Don Rogers said the weather was cloudy at the time of the crash. The crash investigation is being conducted by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board.