Nobody was injured when a floatplane hit an object in the water Monday morning while landing in Ketchikan’s Tongass Narrows, but the collision damaged a pontoon that started taking on water, causing the plane to sink.
Ketchikan Deputy Police Chief Josh Dossett said, “This morning at about 11:17, the Ketchikan Police Department received a call for assistance at the 4700 block of North Tongass Highway. It appears a floatplane was landing and may have struck an object in the water. As they were coming into the dock, they realized the pontoon was taking on water and it began to list. They were able to get to the dock and unload the four passengers and the pilot before the plane did roll, becoming submerged.”
Dossett said the tour company is Alaska Seaplane Tours. He didn’t know which tour the passengers had just completed.
According to the company’s website, it offers tours of Misty Fiords National Monument, bear viewing tours, glacier tours, guided fishing and lake trips.
Dossett said the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies were notified of the mishap.
