Pilot hits power line during emergency landing

JOHN DAVIDSO/

Frontiersman reporter

EUREKA -- A Palmer man was taken by helicopter to Providence Alaska Medical Center Saturday afternoon after his single-engine aircraft struck a power line during an attempted landing on the Glenn Highway, Alaska State Troopers reported.

David Barnes, 42, along with his 2-year-old son, Luke, and his parents, Cheryl Barnes, 68, and Lynn Barnes, 71, were out for a New Year's Day flight in Barnes' 2000 Maule fixed-wing aircraft when Barnes attempted to make an emergency landing near Mile 121 Glenn Hwy.

As Barnes prepared to land, the aircraft struck a power line that crossed the highway and then crashed, troopers reported.

Barnes' parents, who were visiting from Larkspur, Colo., and his son, Luke, were rushed by ambulance to Valley Hospital and treated for injuries.

Barnes, who was trapped in the aircraft, was medevaced to Providence Alaska Medical Center after rescuers extricated him from the wreckage. He was listed in serious condition Monday morning, a Providence spokesperson said.

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, which responded to the crash site on Sunday, troopers reported.

Contact John Davidson at john.davidson@frontiersman.com.