5 people rescued after plane crash on Lake Iliamna

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A rescue operation was called Saturday following a plane crash on Lake Iliamna near Newhalen.

Alaska State Troopers wrote in a dispatch that they had been notified of an emergency locator transmitter on the ice of Lake Iliamna. Troopers wrote that Wildlife Troopers launched a helicopter from King Salmon and assisted the Alaska Air National Guard and the United States Coast Guard in rescuing the five people on board, four passengers and a pilot. Helicopters arrived around 6 p.m. and lifted the five people from the wreckage, which were then taken to hospitals in Anchorage by LifeMed and Air Guard fixed-wing aircraft.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Clint Johnson said the Cessna 206 crashed on a flight from Levelock to Port Alsworth was diverted to Iliamna due to weather conditions. The plane crashed into Lake Iliamna 2 miles south of Mount Iliamna. Soldiers and the NTSB thanked local Good Samaritan residents who responded to the crash site to assist the victims.

Johnson said the NTSB is investigating the cause of the crash.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional information.

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