Warden aircraft takes turn for the worst

    TOWNSHIP 10, RANGE 11 – A member of the Maine Warden Service escaped serious injury when his aircraft tipped on rough ice while he was attempting to turn on Clear Lake.
The accident occurred on April 14 at the remote location west of Masardis.
    “The Cessna 185 aircraft, piloted by Warden Pilot Daryl Gordon, of Eagle Lake, was damaged when a ski on the aircraft’s landing equipment dug into the ice and snow and caused the plane to tip forward onto its nose and wing,” said Mark Latti, spokesperson for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
According to Latti, the aircraft was traveling slowly at the time of the incident. The aircraft sustained propeller and wing damage. Plans were to repair the plane on site. Gordon, who regularly patrols in that area, was not injured as a result of the accident.
“Warden Pilot Gordon patrols the area around Clear Lake and had stopped there on routine patrol to check on a department camp in the area,” said Latti.
Colonel Thomas Santaguida, chief of the Maine Warden Service, said, “Our warden pilots are highly trained professional pilots. They fly in all kinds of conditions and weather to carry out the mission of the bureau and conduct search and rescue missions.”
Santaguida indicated the department’s pilots have long been recognized for their attention to safety and that incidents such as this one are rare.
“Our pilots have an outstanding safety record. Although very rare and unusual, when operating an aircraft thousands of hours in demanding terrain and weather, accidents may happen. I have complete confidence in the competence and abilities of all our warden pilots to operate our aircraft in a safe and professional manner,” said Santaguida.
Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board and Maine Department of Environmental Protection were notified quickly after the incident, said Latti.
Repair and removal of the aircraft was hampered by weather but the plane was expected to be back in full service before the spring season came to an end.