Safety program helps with pilot's rescue
Capstone goal is to reduce aviation accidents in the region where there is no radar
ANCHORAGE - A pilot who crashed Monday night in Southwest Alaska was located with the help of a new Federal Aviation Administration regional safety program.
FAA managers say the rescue of Grant Aviation pilot Erick Gutierrez was the first save in its Capstone program.
Gutierrez, 30, flew from Bethel 75 miles north to Marshall, a village of about 350 on the east bank of the Yukon River, in a Cessna 207 and dropped off passengers and cargo.
He departed Marshall for the return trip but never made it, said Alaska State Troopers spokesman Tim Despain. According to the FAA, Gutierrez left about 7:50 p.m.
Grant Aviation notified troopers at 10 p.m. that the aircraft was overdue.
Troopers requested assistance from the Army National Guard, which launched a Blackhawk helicopter from Bethel at about 10:20 p.m. A trooper and a medic were on board with the crew.
Searchers aided by night vision goggles located the wreck at 12:20 a.m. Tuesday.
They found Gutierrez sitting in the rear of the aircraft, taking shelter from wind.
Bethel had a low temperature of 34 degrees as of 3 a.m. Tuesday. Despain said the aircraft was demolished.
Gutierrez suffered cuts on his head and face and a possible broken leg and ankle, Despain said.
FAA spokeswoman Joette Storm said the wreck was located with assistance from the Capstone program.
Launched in 1999, the program has installed $19,000 worth of special navigation equipment on 189 commercial airplanes operating in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
The goal is to reduce aviation accidents in the region where there is no radar, the terrain is rough and weather can turn bad quickly.
Capstone equipment includes a computer screen that displays detailed moving maps, the location of other planes flying in the area and weather data.
The equipment sends out a signal with an aircraft's location that is relayed by satellite to ground-based terminals in a dozen or so villages.
The FAA office outside Elmendorf Air Force Base also can track the location of aircraft.
Storm said the downed Grant Aviation aircraft for some reason did not give off an electronic locator transmission.
However, searchers were able to contact the FAA for the Cessna's last Capstone transmission to locate the plane.
"Having that latitude and longitude, they can hone right in on where the signal was," Storm said.
Searchers located the aircraft 7 miles southeast of Marshall.
Alaska National Guard spokeswoman Kerre Fisher said the injured pilot was stabilized and transported to Bethel.
He was then flown to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage.