‘She’s gonna crash!’ video of floatplane bouncing on Campbell Lake

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ROUGHCUT: Video of a Cessna 206 attempting to land on Campbell Lake on Saturday was captured by a nationally known film crew that happened to be in the area taking footage of floatplanes.

In the brief footage that is circulating among area aviation enthusiasts, the plane bounces, veers, and seems out of control before the pilot decides to do a go-round, and clears the water and trees in this brief video, whose narration includes lots of “Oh my gosh” and gasps from witnesses:

Campbell Lake flying

Must Read Alaska has not confirmed the name of the pilot, but the tail number on the plane lines up with that owned by former Alaska Dispatch News publisher Alice Rogoff through her company, Umailik LLC, which has the same address as her home on Campbell Lake. (The company is inactive, according to the state Department of Commerce’s data base.)

The Cessna’s tail number N907AR is a personalized number, indicating the 907 area code and A.R. for Alice Rogoff. These can be ordered specially from the FAA. The airplane was manufactured in 2014, according to the FAA, and it appears she purchased it new.

According to the website Trade-a-Plane.com, a plane of this quality, in airworthy condition, is worth as much as $400,000.

Close-up shot of the Cessna 206, tail number N907AR at Campbell Lake.

Rogoff is reported by Alaska aviators to be taking “dual lessons,” with a flight instructor on board to regain her seaplane certification, which she lost after a crash in 2016. One pilot looking at the footage said that the “go round” was the only good decision that appeared to be made by the pilot.

Alice Rogoff in Unalakleet with a Cessna with tail number partially visible in this undated photo.

Rogoff crashed a Cessna floatplane nearly a year and a half ago while attempted to land in Halibut Cove, Alaska.

The wealthy East Coast transplant, who purchased the Anchorage Daily News in 2014 and merged it with the Alaska Dispatch News that she had purchased years earlier, declared her newspaper empire bankrupt in August of this year.

She is still in litigation with her former business partner, Tony Hopfinger, who says she owes him $900,000. Many others are awaiting payment from her; the liens against against Rogoff are in the millions of dollars.

The Alaska Dispatch News changed hands this week after the sale was approved by a bankruptcy judge.

It is now owned by the Binkley Company of Fairbanks in a deal set to close today. The remainder of her assets are likely headed for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and creditors such as GCI and Arctic Partners have filed documents to try to “pierce the corporate veil” and get to her personal assets to recover the money she owes them.

[Read: Lawsuits, liens, and asset filings]

8 COMMENTS

  1. Wow…crazy….no wonder she crashed at Halibut Cove, she’s a menace to anyone else in the air near her, and also anyone on the ground under her flight path.
    That was painful to watch.

    I wonder if someone more knowledgable than I about bankruptcy law, can tell us if that airplane can be seized and auctioned off, and the proceeds divided amongst her creditors?

    • Lawyers for the creditors are attempting to break the protection of being a corporation. If they can pierce the corporate veil, break the protection of being a separate entity, as a corporation is treated separate from owners. Then her personal assets can be seized.

  2. “Anchorage Tower, this is Alaska Airlines Flight 49. Requesting clearance for takeoff on runway 89.”

    “This Anchorage Tower. Hold your position 49. Do not take off. An Alice Rogoff in Airspace alert has been issued. All takeoff and landings are on hold until airspace danger has cleared.”

  3. Suzanne: Alice’s Cessna 206 amphibian aircraft is worth far more than ” as much as $400K”. It is very highly optioned including turbo charging, Amphibious floats, a very lavish avionics package and more. And it is very low time. It is worth more like 7 to $800K. Just selling this aircraft before she totals it and hurts herself or someone else, would go a long ways towards paying off many ADN Creditors. Add in the Campbell Lake home and she is close to having nearly 2 million that could go to creditors. And it would not impact her life style a wit. Anyone think she might do this? No. Well I didn’t think so.

  4. awww…c’mom. You don’t even know if she’s piloting the plane. And after crashing a plane (or two?) who wouldn’t be nervous and shaky at the controls. Maybe a drink or dozen would help. But I do agree with Flyguy. She should do the right thing, sell the plane, house, whatever, and pay her debts. No reason why a rich person can’t have some integrity. We can hope anyway.

  5. She’s just doing some bouncing to test to make sure her floats are bolted on tight. Just in case she decides to hit a tree later in the flight.

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