Girdwood firefighters say no injuries were reported Tuesday morning after a small plane safely made an emergency landing on the Seward Highway.
Fire Chief Michelle Weston said crews were called to the scene, near Mile 93 of the highway slightly north of Girdwood, at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Weston said two people were aboard the plane, a Rans S-21 Outbound optimized for short takeoffs and landings.
“The aircraft had landed, had a issue, and had landed on the highway and without injuries to (those aboard), and had taxied off onto the side of the highway,” Weston said.
The highway was open as of 9 a.m., Weston said. Asked if it had ever been closed during the incident, she said, “Not officially.”
“We're just thankful that when the aircraft came down, the cars all saw it,” she said. “It’s on a straight stretch, and they were able to pull over and let the pilot land.”
Adrian Yambao, who posted a photo of the plane on Facebook, said he had a front-row seat when it touched down.
“(I)t landed right in front of our work truck,” Yambao said in a text message. “It (didn’t look) like it was in distress when it landed, the pilot got out and moved the plane to the ditch. We asked if he needed help and he said no.”
Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska chief, said Tuesday that the Outbound is an amateur plane built from a kit. Preliminary NTSB information indicated the plane was privately operated, rather than a commercial flight.
“What we've got is a partial loss of engine power,” Johnson said. “They made a precautionary landing onto the highway: no damage, no injuries.”
Johnson said NTSB staff were monitoring the incident, but didn’t plan to visit the landing site.
The pilot was working to repair the plane Tuesday morning, Weston said. It took off again from the highway just before 10:30 a.m.
