Pilot guides plane into lake

WASILLA — A pilot is OK after ditching his single-engine plane into Lake Lucille Saturday.

The pilot, whose identity wasn’t immediately known, was coming in for a landing at Wasilla Airport about 11:30 a.m., when the engine stopped, said Dennis Brodigan, emergency services director for the Mat-Su Borough.

“He was coming in for a landing and, at some point in time, his engine stopped.” Brodigan said. “He was up in the air and figured he wasn’t going to make it to the airport and ditched it into Lake Lucille.”

Witnesses called 911 to report seeing the 1960s-era Piper Comanche flying silently, he said.

“Shortly after he hit the water, local residents in a pontoon boat went out and got him safely to shore,” Brodigan said, adding the pilot was not injured. “It is a minor event that could’ve been a major event, but thankfully it turned out great for everybody on the ground and the pilot.”

Wasilla police also responded to the crash and the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified, Brodigan said.