An Alaska Seaplanes aircraft crashed Friday morning during takeoff from Juneau International Airport.
There were no injuries reported by the five passengers and pilot, said Seaplanes marketing manager Andy Kline.
“They’ve all been checked out by Capital City Fire/Rescue ,and they’re all in good spirits and in good shape, which we’re all thankful for,” Kline said in a phone interview. “We don’t quite know what happened. Something happened on take off, and it ended up on the side of the runway.”
The aircraft was a Cessna 208B Caravan on the morning flight to Skagway, Kline said.
“It’s one of four Cessna 208Bs we have in our fleet,” Kline said.
The 208B is a non-amphibious wheeled aircraft, a “workhorse” of the Seaplanes fleet, Kline said.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, Kline said. Seaplanes will also conduct an internal investigation, Kline said.
“We’re investigating. We will make public our findings when we know them,” Kline said. “We’re incredibly thankful everyone is safe and in good spirits.”
There are likely to be interruptions of service for all Seaplanes flights as the company investigates, Kline said. Operations at the airport were also affected.
“The runway is partially open for smaller aircraft operations but it is affecting Alaska Airlines flights,” said Scott Rinkenberger, deputy airport manager for Juneau International Airport.
The timeline for fully clearing the runway was unclear, as there was some concerns about fuel aboard the aircraft and the equipment required to move it, Rinkenberger said.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
