The four people who swam to shore after their plane crashed in Lynn Canal north of Juneau Wednesday have been identified as Haines residents by Alaska State Troopers.
Tour and charter flight company Temsco Helicopters first reported the Cessna 180's crash near Eldred Rock, roughly 55 miles north of Juneau, to troopers at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday the plane's pilot reported losing engine power and attempted to reach a nearby beach before crashing.
Two Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters, as well as a Temsco crew, landed on a beach near the crash site and picked up all four people, who had swum to shore.
"(The Coast Guard) later reported it had rescued the pilot, Michael Mackowiak, 56, Martha Mackowiak, 51, and two juvenile passengers, all of Haines," troopers wrote. "All were transported to the hospital in Juneau by Temsco Helicopter and the (Coast Guard) to be assessed and treated as needed."
All four occupants of the plane were taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital. Jim Strader, a spokesman for the hospital, said none of them were being treated in Juneau any longer and that one was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for additional care.
"Three of them were able to be treated and released," Strader said. "The fourth one was obviously in much more serious condition and had to be taken to Harborview."
Harborview staff identified the transported patient as Martha Mackowiak and said she remained in critical condition at the hospital's intensive care unit Thursday morning.
The National Transportation Safety Board's lead investigator on the case, Shaun Williams, said Thursday that investigators haven't yet spoken with anyone on board the aircraft, which was a privately owned plane flying from Juneau to Haines at the time of the crash.
"We have not made contact yet -- we're giving them some time," Williams said.
Representatives of the companies that manufactured the plane's airframe and engine have been contacted, Williams said. As of Thursday they were providing only technical assistance as the NTSB waited for word on whether the plane could be recovered from the deep waters of Lynn Canal, a glacial fjord.
"The last report from the Coast Guard, the estimate on the water depth is 100 to 130 fathoms," Williams said, or 600 to 780 feet. "If that holds, the aircraft probably will not be recovered."
Williams asked any aviators in the area who see wreckage to contact either the NTSB directly at 907-782-4849 or their local trooper posts.