Anchorage pilot dies in Mat-Su plane crash
SKWENTNA, Alaska (KTUU) - A pilot is dead after emergency responders found a plane submerged in a Mat-Su area lake Sunday afternoon.
Alaska State Troopers say 67-year-old Janell Rude of Anchorage was the sole occupant of the Cessna 180A went it went down Sunday in Whiskey Lake near Skwentna. Troopers say they received the initial report of the crash shortly before 4 p.m.
A spokesperson with the National Transportation Safety Board said the incident happened at around 1 p.m. Sunday, and described the cloud ceiling between 8,000 and 11,000 feet. The spokesperson said that Rude was in the process of taking off when the crash occurred.
An Air Force rescue team was called out by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center to find the plane, which was fully submerged in the water. Rude’s body was recovered by rescue swimmers from the Air Force and Alaska Wildlife Troopers, and will be sent to the Alaska State Medical Examiner for an autopsy.
Troopers say the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration have both been notified.
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