SEWARD, AK — Four people were rescued after a Cessna 180 crashed and flipped over on a coastal sandbar at Montague Island. Alaska Air National Guardsmen carried out the response Sunday after the aircraft went down about 60 miles southeast of Seward.
The people aboard were able to get out of the overturned plane before a rescue helicopter arrived. One person was treated for a back injury and taken out on a rescue litter after medics used a vacuum splint and cervical collar.
Emergency locator transmitter triggered the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center response
The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at J-BER launched the mission after receiving a signal from the plane’s emergency locator transmitter. That alert helped start the search and rescue effort over the remote coastal area.
According to the coordination center, the group also used a satellite communication device to help rescuers narrow down the location. The combination of the emergency beacon and the extra device appears to have helped officials find the aircraft more quickly.
Rescuers found all four survivors outside the overturned aircraft
By the time the helicopter reached the scene, the four occupants had already made it out of the wrecked Cessna. That meant rescuers were able to focus on medical assessment and transport rather than an extraction from inside the plane.
Officials said the plane had come to rest upside down on the sandbar. The remote setting and the aircraft’s position made the response a search-and-rescue operation rather than a routine medical flight.
One passenger was treated for a back injury before transport
One person in the group suffered a back injury during the crash. Rescue crews stabilized that patient with a vacuum splint and cervical collar before moving the person to a rescue litter for transport.
The other three people were also flown from the scene. Alaska Air National Guardsmen then transported the four survivors to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, where they were released to civilian medical personnel.
The rescue ended with all four flown to Anchorage for medical care
The operation concluded with the group brought to Providence Alaska Medical Center, the region’s major trauma and medical center in Anchorage. After arrival, the patients were handed off to civilian medical personnel for further care.
No additional details were provided about the passengers’ identities or what caused the crash. Officials also did not say whether weather, mechanical trouble or pilot error played any role in the accident.
Officials are urging aircraft owners to update locator registrations
After the rescue, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center reminded aircraft owners to keep emergency locator transmitter registrations current. The center also encouraged pilots to carry an additional satellite communication device when flying in remote areas.
The warning reflects how quickly emergency equipment can affect a response in Alaska’s isolated terrain. In this case, the transmitter signal and satellite device both helped responders identify the crash site and reach the four people aboard.
Local stories that matter, from GHS The Student.
