Two Passengers Lost In Alaska Incident

David Arend fought his plane all the way to the ground. His Maule M5 suffered apparent engine failure over Alaska's Resurrection Bay and he was trying to make an emergency landing on a sandbar. But just 300 yards short of his target, the engine failed and the aircraft plunged into the water.

The 60-year old Arend was badly hurt in the accident. His wife, 62-year old Gudrun and their friend, 69-year old Charlie Nielsen, both of Colorado, were killed in the accident.

Family members and friends were following the Maule in a second aircraft when they heard David say his aircraft had sprung an oil leak.

"Oil was apparently spraying back onto the windshield," said NTSB investigator Clint Johnson in an interview with the Anchorage Daily News.

Arend tried to turn back toward Seward, aiming for an emergency landing on a beach near Fourth of July Creek. But the engine quit some 300 yards from the beach. Arend's aircraft impacted the water and flipped over on its back.

Witnesses said Arend climbed out of the wreckage and kept the plane from sinking by holding its tail.

"It looked like he was just sitting on the plane, but he was holding on tight," witness Stephen Audette told the Daily News.

Audette said Alaska State Trooper Brandon Anderson, who was sport fishing nearby, joined Arend in keeping the aircraft from sinking.

"He held the tail up," Audette said. "His arms must have been gone by the time help arrived."

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 6194M    Make/Model: M5    Description: M-5, Strata Rocket, Lunar Rocket, Patrol
 Date: 08/15/2004   Time: 2145

 Event Type: Accident  Highest Injury: Fatal   Mid Air: N  Missing: N
 Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
 City: SEWARD           State: AK  Country: US

DESCRIPTION
 ACFT CRASHED INTO RESURRECTION BAY, ACFT WAS DESTROYED, THERE WERE THREE
 PERSONS ON BOARD, TWO WERE FATALLY INJURED AND ONE SUSTAINED MINOR
 INJURIES, SEWARD, AK

INJURY DATA   Total Fatal:  2
         # Crew:  1  Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  1   Unk: 
         # Pass:  2   Fat:  2   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 
         # Grnd:       Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED                               
                                          
                            

OTHER DATA
 Activity: Pleasure   Phase: Unknown   Operation: General Aviation

 Departed: UNK             Dep Date:  Dep. Time:  
 Destination: UNK           Flt Plan: NONE     Wx Briefing: Y
 Last Radio Cont: UNK
 Last Clearance: UNK

 FAA FSDO: ANCHORAGE, AK (AL03)         Entry date: 08/16/2004

FMI: www.ntsb.gov