A Friday break in the weather allowed seven occupants of an air taxi flight stranded on Ruth Glacier since Tuesday by poor weather to be flown out, according to Denali National Park officials.
Park spokesperson Maureen McLaughlin says a Talkeetna Air Taxi plane, piloted by company owner Paul Roderick, was able to land near the company's de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver at about 5 a.m. Friday. Roderick flew the group, including Beaver pilot John Nealon and six passengers, to Denali National Park headquarters.
"The group, I understand it, is up there having a hot breakfast and are going to drive down back to Talkeenta in a van," McLaughlin said Friday morning.
The first aircraft, which landed Tuesday afternoon due to deteriorating weather conditions and was kept there by winds and snow, remains at the scene awaiting recovery along with four Park Service rangers who hiked to the plane Thursday.
"The aircraft is still sitting on the glacier," McLaughlin said. "Looks like it got a bit iced up, but our four Denali National Park rangers are still on the glacier themselves."
Repeated efforts to reach the site were turned back by poor weather Wednesday and Thursday, forcing the Park Service to land a helicopter three and a half miles away Thursday in order to drop off the rangers.
Channel 2's Dan Carpenter contributed information to this story.
Contact Chris Klint