Alaska Beat

Bear-mauled plane needed quick fix

According to the Times LIVE (Johannesburg, S. Africa), a 1958 Piper Cub wasn't cleaned out very well after a salmon fishing trip, and a passing grizzly bear seriously reduced the plane's airworthiness trying to get at the fish it smelled. The pilot needed two new tires, three cases of duct tape (!), and some cellophane to make sufficient repairs to fly home. The report doesn't name the pilot, and doesn't say where or when the plane-mauling happened, but read more and see the before and after photos here. Alaska Beat apologizes if you already heard this one. Because of the dearth of detail, we aren't sure how old the story ultimately is, but maybe a reader can tell us. It would be really cool if anyone out there knows the pilot.

[Correction 11/11: Alaska Beat originally posted incorrect quantities of repair supplies. We regret our error and thank the reader who took the time to let us know.]

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