The pilot and four passengers, enroute to Juneau from Skagway, all swam to shore successfully after their 1974 Cessna T207 on wheels was forced to make a water landing after 6 am this morning, troopers report.

The call concerning the downed aircraft, operated by Alaska Seaplanes, was relayed  to Ketchikan State Troopers by the Juneau Police Department at 6:53, and consequently relayed to the Juneau troopers.

The US Coast Guard was notified of the crash three miles west of the Juneau International Airport to the east of Coghlan Island, and along with Capital City and Fire, coordinated a response.

In the meantime, a Cessna 206 0n floats, also from Alaska Seaplanes, responded to the scene and retrieved the four passengers. while the pilot, 33-year-old Joshua Dee Poirier, remained behind on the beach. He was picked up a short time later by a chopper from Coastal Helicopters.

The initial investigation by troopers revealed that while enroute to the Juneau Airport, the aircraft’s engine malfunctioned. Poirier immediately made an emergency call to the Juneau FAA tower and reported the situation. Poirier then made the decision to ditch the aircraft 150-feet from the Coghlan Island shoreline.

When the aircraft went down in the water, it remained upright, allowing all to exit the plane and swim to shore. The plane sank a short time later.

Troopers report that the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified of the incident.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

  airport, Alaska, cessna, coghlan island, crash, ditch, engine, haines, joshua, juneau, malfunction, poirior, seaplanes, skagway, water