A DeHavilland DHC-3T turbine Otter floatplane with 10 people on board crashed about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday in Iliamna, Alaska, killing three people, according to local reports. All three were out-of-state residents, Alaska officials said. NTSB spokesman Clint Johnson said the Otter crashed shortly after takeoff from East Wind Lake. “They were headed to a fishing site from there,” Johnson said, according to the Alaska Dispatch News. “There were guests, there were guides, and there were obviously the crew on board.” Two of the survivors were OK, and five were flown to Anchorage for medical care, according to officials. The airplane belonged to Rainbow King Lodge. The plane crashed in trees, not far from a local airport, according to news reports. The weather at the time was reportedly rainy and overcast.
Iliamna is a small community on the northwest shore of Lake Iliamna, the largest freshwater lake in Alaska, about 200 miles southwest of Anchorage. The area is a popular fly-in fishing destination, with wilderness lodges to accommodate visitors. Myrtle Anelon, a local resident, told KTUU she was awakened early Tuesday by someone knocking on the door, asking for flashlights, as villagers rallied to help the survivors. “We went out and turned all our car lights on, and a few minutes later we could see the light from the plane wing,” Anelon said. “You could see the wing straight up in the air from here, this morning. People from all over the lake came and helped.” Another turbine Otter crashed in Alaska in June, killing all nine people on board. That flight was carrying cruise-ship passengers on a sightseeing trip.
