Small airplane makes emergency landing in national park

A small airplane made an emergency landing in Denali National Park and Preserve, and the two people inside the plane were rescued shortly thereafter, the National Park Service said.

The Cessna 180 landed about 11 a.m. Thursday near the Eielson Visitor Center, an interpretive centre and rest stop at mile 66 of Denali Park Road, the park service said in a statement.

Park Service employees airlifted the two people in the plane to McKinley National Park Airport, near the entrance of the park, where they were met by emergency medical services personnel from the Tri-Valley Volunteer Fire Department, the park service said.

Neither person was injured, the park service added.

The airplane was on its way to Kantisha, an unincorporated community in the Denali Borough.

Park Service staff will check the area where the airplane landed to see if any remediation needs to be made.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, the park service said.