Overturned aircraft remains unrecovered on Wasilla Lake

WASILLA, Alaska (KTUU) - The winds that whipped through the Matanuska-Susitna Borough have long since died down, but remnants of the mess it left in its wake can still be seen on Wasilla Lake.

While housesitting for a friend on the lake, Rick Long saw something rather unusual — an unoccupied aircraft sliding across the ice.

“Friday, sometime around three o’clock, 3:20. I looked out the window and I seen this airplane coming across the lake, towards the house,” Long said. Strong winds caused a Piper Cub airplane to blow towards the house where Long is staying near Wasilla Lake.

He immediately called 911, genuinely concerned the plane would move closer to him and hit the house. He wanted someone to come out to identify the plane and help get it back to where it belonged, but Alaska State Troopers were busy addressing other issues caused by the windstorm that swept through the area.

The plane has been sitting in the same spot ever since, and the sight of the plane’s trip across the frozen lake isn’t one Long will soon forget.

“And then it got caught, one of the skis got caught where it stayed for a period of time,” Long stated. “Then another big gust of wind flipped it over and put it into where it’s at now.”

The plane’s owner was tracked down using an aircraft registration database with the identification number on the tail. The owner, who did not want to be on camera, said he had also called 911 to report that the plane’s ties had broken and that the aircraft was unoccupied.

The Department of Public Safety said in a statement that because the incident occurred on the ground, it is not within the Federal Aviation Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board’s jurisdiction.

“If there was no intent for flight, and it was just a wind event like this while the airplane was tied down, neither the FAA nor NTSB would be involved,” a statement from the department read. “If the airplane owner had insurance, the adjuster would coordinate recovery of the damaged airplane. If there was no insurance, it would be up to the airplane owner to recover the airplane.

That leaves the responsibility for the plane in the hands of the owner, who must find a way to get the plane back onto its skis and to a safe location.

“It’s just trying to figure out what to do.” Long said. “Help get the guy’s airplane off of here so he can maybe get it salvaged.”

The plane’s owner indicated that he intends to begin salvaging the aircraft as soon as possible.

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