Wrangell: Plane down in fog
That fog can cause its share of trouble was illustrated Oct. 18 when Charles Bateham's small floatplane went down near the mouth of Whiskey Cove shortly after takeoff.
Rescuers took Bateham to a nearby cabin and conversation between them and the Coast Guard was relayed to Wrangell EMTs at about 11:30 a.m. Two EMTs were dispatched within nine minutes, reported Wrangell Fire Chief Tim Buness, and, after a fifteen minute flight, were on the scene. After working with the patient, he was transported back to the Wrangell Medical Center in stable condition.
Because of the presence of fog in some areas, the EMTs also dispatched a boat that collected debris from the wrecked plane. The plane itself broke up and sank in 160 feet of water. Bateham was the owner and operator of the plane and its sole occupant.
Buness says the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will likely investigate the cause of the accident. The NTSB investigates every plane crash.