Pilot survives small-plane crash into lake at Glacier Bay National Park/USCG

Editor's note: This updates with possible cause of crash, adds more details.

The pilot of a single-engine plane that was flying in tandem with another crash-landed into a lake along Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve's Pacific Coast and managed to swim away from the wreckage and was rescued by the Coast Guard. 

Initial Coast Guard reports from the incident Wednesday afternoon indicated a mid-air collision, but subsequent follow-up from the USCG helicopter that responded identified a single plane down in Crillon Lake.

The pilot, 34-year-old Alec Daniel Wildenstein, of Nanyuki, Kenya, was flying with a companion in a second plane from Yakutat, Alaska, to Portland, Oregon, when he experienced engine trouble, according to U.S. Coast Guard reports. Deciding that the lake's shoreline was too rugged to land on, Wildenstein put his plane down in the water, where it flipped over. His companion circled overhead and called for help before running low on fuel and continuing on to Sitka, where the rescue helicopter brought Wildenstein.

No emergency response resources were requested and the NPS response team stood down. USCG reported the plane “wheels up” submerged to the wings in Crillon Lake. A salvage operation is anticipated to recover the downed plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board was to investigate the incident.

Crillon Lake, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve/NPS