DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver: Floatplane Flips, Sinks During Takeoff Run Near Kodiak, Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—  A floatplane flipped and sank after hitting a rock during a takeoff run Tuesday afternoon near Kodiak, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. All three people on board escaped without injuries.

NTSB investigator Clint Johnson says a DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver owned and operated by Island Air of Kodiak was carrying a pilot and two mechanics on a post-maintenance test flight when it landed in Long Lagoon, about five miles northeast of Kodiak, at about 3 p.m. to conduct some tests. It then struck a rock as it attempted to take off, holing one of the plane’s floats and causing it to sink.

The pilot and mechanics got out of the plane and were rescued by good Samaritans in the area, then subsequently picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard. Johnson says the three spent about 20 minutes in the water before they were picked up.

The plane was submerged after the crash, but crews were working on retrieving it Tuesday afternoon.