Mechanical problems forced a flightseeing plane with nine aboard to make a forced landing inside Denali National Park and Preserve, with the aircraft coming down near the Tokositna Glacier. No injuries were reported in the incident.
According to a park release, the aircraft from K2 Aviation was flying over the Alaska Range inside Denali around 5 p.m. Friday when the plane lost power. The aircraft managed to make an emergency landing in an area of thick alder bushes near the toe of the glacier in the vicinity of Mount Goldie. A National Park Service helicopter was able to land nearby and shuttled the pilot and passengers to a flat area on a gravel bar at the base of the glacier.
Park officials requested assistance from the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center. An HH-60 helicopter from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was dispatched to the scene to aid in transporting everyone back to Talkeetna. The HH-60 transported five people, an R44 helicopter from Talkeetna Air Taxi transported three, and the park's A-Star helicopter transported the remaining individual. Emergency medical personnel met the helicopters in Talkeetna, and all involved declined medical treatment.
Park officials were working with an investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board to remove the airplane from the site.
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