A floatplane went down in the heart of Katmai's bear country, and crews got it out before it could foul the salmon

A floatplane crashed near lower Moraine Creek in Katmai National Park this month — in one of the most celebrated stretches of brown bear country in Alaska — and crews have since pulled out the wreckage and kept its fuel from reaching the water, the National Park Service said.

The location is what makes it notable. Moraine Creek is a destination in its own right, a remote stream that draws brown bears from miles around each summer to feed on one of the region's richest salmon runs, and a favorite of wildlife photographers looking for a wilder, less-crowded alternative to Katmai's famous Brooks Falls. The creek drains into Kukaklek Lake, at the headwaters of the Alagnak Wild River, where hundreds of thousands of salmon return every year — which is why keeping spilled fuel out of the water mattered.

The plane went down around 6 p.m. Aug. 6 with no injuries reported. The fuel stayed contained, and after the National Transportation Safety Board finished its on-site investigation, park staff worked with the aircraft's owner to remove the wreckage and complete cleanup by Aug. 11. A final park inspection will confirm the site meets cleanup requirements.

"We are grateful that no one was injured in this accident and that the aircraft was removed safely," Superintendent Mark Sturm said.

It is not the first aircraft to go down in the park's backcountry — a 2018 crash struck Kukaklek Lake, in the same drainage, and another plane crash-landed near Brooks Camp in July 2025. The NTSB is investigating the cause of this one.