Off-Airport Alaska Landing Leads to Unnecessary Search for Pilot

The 23-year-old Taylorcraft operator was apparently rescued by another pilot.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 01:48 PM ET

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The nose-over happened near Hatcher Pass, Alaska. [File Photo: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

An Alaskan pilot experienced a nose-over landing in a 1946 Taylorcraft, was uninjured, and self-rescued with the help of another pilot, leaving the damaged aircraft behind.
The activated Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) triggered a multi-day, multi-agency search involving the Civil Air Patrol, State Troopers, and National Guard, as the pilot failed to notify authorities of his safety.
After significant resources were expended, authorities eventually located the empty aircraft and then the pilot, prompting an appeal for pilots to notify officials after self-rescue to prevent costly and unnecessary search operations.

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The agencies that perform search and rescue—be it the Civil Air Patrol, Air National Guard, or State Troopers—train year-round to find aircraft and pilots that experience unplanned off-airport landings.

Rarely is the pilot in an off-airport landing able to be rescued without these services, but that’s what happened in Alaska last week where the pilot of a 1946 Taylorcraft experienced a nose-over during such a landing near Hatcher Pass, Alaska.