Cessna Pilot Practices His Survival Skills The Hard Way

The pilot of a stricken C172 went down shortly after takeoff this weekend, impacting in a lake after a takeoff from a strip in the Alaskan boonies failed. When he failed to get airborne, Strahan's Cessna skidded off the strip and into Eklutna Lake, about 40 miles northeast of Anchorage. Strahan was on a sightseeing flight among the Chugach Mountains last Friday, enjoying the first decent weather in several days. After going down, pilot Wade Strahan, 56, found his way to an unheated trapper's cabin and was forced to endure over 24 hours of below-freezing Alaska winter that included an eight mile hike before his rescue.

Maj. Mike Haller of the Alaska National Guard explained that a skier found Strahan, who alerted rescue crews via text messaging/cellphone. Despite temps that flirted with zero, Haller says that Strahan was, "...was hypothermic and banged up, but in good shape and good spirits. What he did to survive was phenomenal."

Strahan is an Anchorage Fire Department battalion chief. He was treated at Providence Alaska Hospital, and then sent home. Strahan reports that his injuries are, "...really pretty minor. (My) fingers and toes are swollen; I might lose a toenail."

** Report created 12/9/2003 Record 13 **
IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 2459L Make/Model: C172 Description: 172, P172, R172, Skyhawk, Hawk XP, Cutla
 Date: 12/05/2003 Time:
 Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
 Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
 City: EAGLE RIVER State: AK Country: US

DESCRIPTION
 AIRCRAFT ON LANDING, CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, EAGLERIVER, AK

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
 # Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
 # Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
 # Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: UNK
OTHER DATA
 Activity: Pleasure Phase: Landing Operation: General Aviation
 Departed: MERRILL FIELD Dep Date: 12/05/2003 Dep. Time:
 Destination: UNK Flt Plan: NONE Wx Briefing: N
 Last Radio Cont: UNK  Last Clearance: UNK
 FAA FSDO: ANCHORAGE, AK (AL03) Entry date: 12/08/2003

FMI: www.faa.gov