At approximately 11 am on Saturday, troopers received a report of the crash of a Piper PA-30 twin-engine Comanche that had taken off from Glacier Point and immediately crashed onto the beach.

According to the report, the Comanche, flown by 29-year-old David Kunat, took off from a strip at Glacier Point, made a hard right turn and crashed into the beach.

Witnesses to the crash, the Faverty family and a visitor from Yakutat, Steve Dice, took a skiff across the inlet to the scene to find that two occupants, the pilot and one passenger, dead as a result of the crash. But, entrapped in a rear seat was a survivor, 31-year-old Chan Valentine of Juneau.

While the crash occurred on the beach, the encroaching incoming tide endangered the lone survivor in the aircraft. Unable to free Valentine, the Favery son ran to a a summer tour camp approximately a mile away and contacted a guide there, who responded by ATV. The guide informed the people at the scene that there was a backhoe at the camp, and Dice went to the camp and retrieved the heavy equipment.[xyz-ihs snippet=”adsense-body-ad”]By the time he returned, the aircraft was already in the water.

First using rope from the skiff, which kept breaking, the party was able to locate a chain, which they attached to the aircraft, and were able to pull the aircraft into shallower water. They did this multiple times to save the victim from drowning as they awaited responders.

Responders Al Giddings and Tim Holm soon arrived from Skagway via Temsco helicopter. With equipment and tin snips, the two were able to extricate Valentine from the wreckage by cutting through the roof of the aircraft.

Valentine was transported to Juneau, then further evacuated to Seattle for treatment of his injuries.

The pilot, David Kunat, and one passenger, Stanley Su Quoc Nguyen, were declared deceased at the scene.

Troopers report that Alaska Wildlife troopers responded to the scene by vessel as well.

The National Transportation Safety Board has responded to the scene on Sunday to conduct an investigation into the cause of the crash.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

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