The owner of the Alaska Dispatch News, Alice Rogoff, crashed her floatplane about 5:50 p.m. Sunday, July 3, in Halibut Cove. She was the pilot and only occupant. Rogoff did not suffer any injuries, she said in a statement.
In a press release, Alaska Wildlife Troopers reported they responded by boat to the crash and found that the pilot was the only occupant and that she had left the scene before troopers arrived. Rogoff was safely transported by a private party, troopers said. The incident has been turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board, troopers said.
According to a statement released through her Anchorage lawyer, Brent Cole, Rogoff “is physically fine.”
“Fortunately she was not hurt and wants to thank all the people in Halibut Cove for their generosity and good spirits,” she said in the statement. “Clem Tillion’s 91st birthday party went on as planned and Ms. Rogoff was delighted to attend.”
Rogoff said she crashed her Cessna 206 after an aborted landing. A photo of the crash shows the plane on the beach of Ismailof Island, where the community of Halibut Cove is located. The plane’s fuselage is mostly intact, but with the right wing folded at a 90-degree angle, the other wing bent, one float crumpled under the fuselage and the other float missing.
NTSB investigator Clinton Johnson said on Monday that the NTSB had been notified of the crash about 10 p.m. Sunday. Johnson said it was reported that the Cessna hit a tree before landing in the water.
“Thankfully, there were no injuries,” he said.
The NTSB will release a preliminary report in about a week. The plane has been removed by helicopter from the Halibut Cove beach.
In her statement, Rogoff said the cause of the accident has not yet been determined and she is working with authorities to determine what happened.
Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.
