An Alaska Seaplanes floatplane made an emergency landing at the mouth of the flooded Mendenhall River immediately after takeoff from Juneau International Airport on Thursday morning. The uninjured pilot was rescued after the aircraft was carried by the river’s force into trees lodged downstream.
Capital City Fire/Rescue retrieved the uninjured pilot using a rescue boat. Alaska Seaplanes stated he “is with Alaska Seaplanes personnel now, who are actively working to recover the plane from Mendenhall River.”
The incident occurred at about 11:17 a.m. when the de Havilland Beaver took off from the airport’s floatplane pond. The pilot was the only person aboard, according to a statement issued by Alaska Seaplanes. The river was at or near the major flood stage of 14 feet at the time, according to National Weather Service Juneau.
“The aircraft landed safely but subsequently drifted into a root ball floating in the river,” according to the Alaska Seaplanes statement.
The plane was still stranded on the root mass as of approximately 12:30 p.m., with water levels rising fast.