JUNEAU, Alaska — A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, forward deployed to Cordova, rescued the pilot of a crashed airplane from Montague Island Thursday.

The Jayhawk crew, on a routine training flight, located the stranded pilot of the Piper PA-11, picked him up from the beach, and transported him to Cordova.

The airplane reportedly crashed when the propeller struck a wave during takeoff. The Jayhawk crew noticed the pilot standing on top of the plane near shore. After landing on the beach and confirming that the pilot was uninjured, they assisted him to pull the downed airplane to shore and tie it off.

Coast Guard 17th District watchstanders, who received the initial distress signal from the downed aircraft, notified Coast Guard Sector Anchorage personnel of the crash to monitor for pollution. The Jayhawk crew did not see any signs of pollution while on scene.

“The FOL Cordova crew is an invaluable asset for search and rescue this time of year,” said Adam De Rocher, a watchstander at the Coast Guard 17th District command center. “The aircrew’s exceptional situational awareness allowed them to quickly locate and rescue the stranded pilot.”

For more information, contact Petty Officer 3rd Class Grant DeVuyst at 907-321-1866.

Source: USCG