A pilot was seriously injured after a small plane crashed Sunday afternoon in Southeast Alaska, authorities say.
The Piper PA-18 Super Cub crashed near Excursion Inlet, said Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska office. The crash was about 35 miles northwest of Juneau, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard received an emergency alert from the plane around 5:30 p.m. and launched an MH-60 Jayhawk from Sitka to respond to the last known location, according to a statement from the Coast Guard. The helicopter crew found the crash wreckage just after 7 p.m. and lowered a swimmer to the site to rescue the pilot, the statement said.
The plane, which was not carrying any passengers, crashed in mountainous terrain at about 2,500 feet, Johnson said.
The pilot was in critical condition at the time of the rescue and brought to Juneau for medical care, the Coast Guard said.
The NTSB is investigating the crash.