Air ambulance CEO says Aleutians crash was emergency landing

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Three people on an air ambulance survived with no serious injuries after it crashed in ocean water following takeoff from a major fishing port city in Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

The LifeMed medevac aircraft crashed about 8 a.m. Thursday after taking off from the Unalaska Airport, acting city manager Marjie Veeder said in a news release. The Beechcraft King Air twin-engine turboprop ended up in the ocean between the end of the runway and Hog Island in Unalaska Bay. The airplane later sank, Anchorage television station KTUU reported.

LifeMed CEO Russ Edwards in a release described the accident as an emergency landing.

“While taking off for a routine medical transport this morning, our aircraft experienced an unknown issue which forced an emergency water landing," Edwards said. “Through skill, training and composure, our pilot and two crew members were able to safely evacuate from the aircraft with minimal injuries.”

Petty Officer 1st Class Ali Blackburn in Juneau said “they were in good condition when they were picked up by local harbor patrol.”

Unalaska is home to Dutch Harbor, the largest fishing port in the nation by volume of seafood landed.

Allen Kenitzer, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, confirmed the aircraft was a Beechcraft. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

The crash is the second at the airport in three months.

A commuter airplane carrying 42 people, including a high school swim team, went off the runway Oct. 18 and came to a rest just short of the Bering Sea. One man was killed in the crash.

The crash occurred as the pilot made a second attempt to land on the runway. Parts of a propeller blade pierced the cabin.

Unalaska is about 825 miles (1,330 kilometers) west of Anchorage.

LifeMed Alaska, LLC provides 24/7 critical care air ambulance services with a fleet that includes Learjets, turboprops, and helicopters, according to its website. The company is headquartered in Anchorage and has base operations in Fairbanks, Soldotna, Bethel, Palmer, Juneau and Dutch Harbor.

The company had no immediate comment and was preparing a statement on the crash.

The crash is the third of an air ambulance since November.

A Security Aviation pilot with a paramedic and nurse from Medevac Alaska on Nov. 29 crashed into a mountain near Cooper Landing, killing all three on board.

A pilot from Resolve Aviation with two crew members from Medevac Alaska on Dec. 24 made an emergency landing onto a frozen lake in southwest Alaska near Koliganen. The airplane had dropped off a patient at New Stuyahok and was returning to Anchorage when it lost power. A helicopter transported the crew to Dillingham.