Coast Guard Hoists Pilot from Hallo Lake Tip-Over

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On Sunday, watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Anchorage received a MayDay call on channel 16 on the VHF on Sunday reporting that the pilot of a Piper PA-18-150 had flipped his aircraft on its nose on a frozen lake on the Alaska Peninsula.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was immediately launched from Air Station Kodiak and flew to the location across Shelikof Strait to Hallo Bay 75 miles from Kodiak.

When they arrived at Hallo Lake, an aviation survival technician was lowered, and that technician helped the pilot tip the Piper, registered to Leland Robbins of Kodiak, back off of its nose. After doing so, the tech and the pilot were hoisted aboard the helicopter and flew back to Air Station Kodiak. The pilot reported no injuries.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]The pilot reported that he had landed on the lake, which had a deep snow cover, and tipped forward when he braked the aircraft.

“Through reliable communications, we were able to work with the Air Force Alaska Rescue Coordination Center to get the nearest rescue crew on scene to reach the pilot as efficiently as possible,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Zack, a Coast Guard Sector Anchorage watchstander. “We encourage the public to enjoy Alaska’s outdoors with the proper safety and communications equipment.” [xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]