Troopers rescue stranded pilot

INNER LAKE GEORGE -- Warm weekend temperatures, along with rain, contributed to some sloshy conditions that trapped a pilot and his passengers Saturday after they landed on Inner Lake George.

Paul Floyd of Elmendorf Air Force Base flew his 1953 Piper PA-22 along with Paul Keel, 23, and wife Amanda Keel, 23, to the lake. Floyd, 31, said he and a friend both piloted their planes there for a day's outing. Inner Lake George is about 35 miles southeast of Palmer, between Knik and Colony glaciers.

When it came time to leave at 6 p.m., Floyd said, he helped move the friend's plane out of 2 feet of water onto a higher, drier takeoff point. That plane lifted off without any problem, but Floyd's couldn't get aloft.

"I was using the same path he was but unfortunately I didn't have enough power," Floyd said. "The ice itself was excellent but it was raining and there were intermittent pools of water."

The friend circled around and, seeing Floyd stranded, called Palmer Flight Service, which contacted rescue control which in turn contacted Alaska State Troopers. They responded with the department's helicopter, Helo 1, and transported Floyd and the Keels to Merrill Field in Anchorage.

On Sunday, Floyd's friend flew him back to retrieve his plane, which wasn't damaged.

"Conditions were much better then," Floyd said. "I was able to leave with no drama at all."

Trooper pilot Mel Nading made the trip to fetch the stranded trio, saving them some uncomfortable hours.

"These people were freezing cold and had no gear to spend the night," Nading said. "It was very dark with falling snow and rain. I was able to complete this rescue only because of our department helicopter."