ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Federal officials have asked anyone who was near the remote Alaska area where a small plane crashed into woods last week, killing the pilot, to contact them with information that could help them determine the cause.
The wreckage of the Cessna 206 must still be recovered from the Lake Clark National Park and Preserve and taken to Anchorage or Wasilla to be examined, said National Transportation Safety Board Alaska Chief Clint Johnson.
Regal Air pilot Joel Black was flying a load of lumber and insulation to the Kautumn Lodge near Koliganek last Thursday from Lake Hood Seaplane Base in Anchorage.
The 11th Air Force’s Rescue Coordination Center in Anchorage received an emergency locator transmitter signal from the aircraft at 9:24 a.m.
Searchers found the burning plane in a woods shortly after 12 p.m. Black died at the scene, KTVA-TV reported (http://bit.ly/2hplhVG).
Johnson said investigators are hoping to hear from people who were flying in the same area or were on the ground near the crash site.
“We would love to talk with these folks to get a better idea of what the weather conditions were at the accident site at the time of the crash,” Johnson said. “If by chance there was some guy in this area, anybody who talked to this guy air-to-air — we’re looking for anything we can get.”
