The blue and white Maule M-4 had engine trouble, and the pilot landed it safely at an airstrip near Cape Yakataga, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Sara Francis. The pilot and a single passenger were uninjured, Francis said.
The plane was expected in Anchorage about 8 or 9 p.m., according to Air National Guard spokeswoman Kalei Rupp. Two hours later, when the flight plan had still not been closed, an electronic notification alerted the Guard's Rescue Coordination Center in Anchorage, Rupp said.
An HC-130 from the Guard's 221th Rescue Squadron in Anchorage and a Cordova-based Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk took off to look for the plane early Tuesday morning, Rupp and Francis said.
Searchers on the HC-130 spotted the plane about 11:30 a.m. and determined its occupants were not hurt, Francis said.
Because the plane was not flyable and its occupants did not have supplies to stay at the airstrip, the Coast Guard and Air National Guard were developing a plan Tuesday afternoon to retrieve them, Francis said.
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