Plane crashes on takeoff from Driftwood Bay

Tuesday, June 26 2007

Unalaska, AK – A Pen Air plane crashed on takeoff from Driftwood Bay near Unalaska on Sunday.

The plane's two-person crew, the pilot and a mechanic, were the only people onboard. Both were taken to Anchorage for precautionary treatment. Bryan Carricaburu, Pen Air's chief pilot, wouldn't identify the crew members, but said they had been released from the hospital without injuries.

Carricaburu said the plane, which is a Grumman Goose, was knocked over by a blast of wind at about 4 p.m. as it was taking off from the small airfield in Driftwood Bay on a chartered flight. Air Force contractors are currently doing environmental remediation work at the site on the north coast of Unalaska Island, where the military once had a radio relay station.

The plane is still at the crash site. A picture taken by a first responder shows the Goose upside down next to the runway, with part of one of its wings detached. Carricaburu said that Pen Air personnel who inspected the aircraft believe it can be repaired.



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