The remains of Gordon Haber, 67, of Denali Park, have been removed from the aircraft wreckage and will be released to the Office of the State Medical Examiner. Working with the owner, park rangers are developing a plan to remove the plane wreckage.

Pilot Dan McGregor,of Denali Park, remains at the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, undergoing treatment for burns. McGregor not only survived the crash, but walked from the crash site to the Igloo Creek Campground, where he encountered two campers from New Hampshire late Thursday night. Nicholas Rodrick and Jesse Hoagland walked four miles with McGregor to the Teklanika River Rest Area, where their car was parked, and drove him to his home just outside the park boundary. They
returned to the campground Friday to retrieve their camping equipment.

No additional information about the accident will be available until the NTSB has completed their investigation.

 The wreck of the burned Cessna was found on a steep mountain slope at the East Fork of Toklat River. The crash happened on Wednesday and killed Gordon Haber. The injured pilot walked from the crash site to Igloo campground where he found help.

Photo courtesy of National Park Service

Pilot Dan McGregor, 35, of Denali Park has survived a plane crash that killed wolf biologist Gordon Haber inside Denali Park on Wednesday.

McGregor managed to walk about 20 miles to safety, confirmed National Park spokeswoman Kris Fister on Friday morning. McGregor suffered significant burns and has been transported to a Seattle burn center.

McGregor confirmed that the human remains inside the burned airplane are of renowned wolf researcher Gordon Haber, 67.

McGregor and Haber left Denali airstrip on Wednesday on a routine flight to study wolves.

When the plane did not return by nightfall on Wednesday, a search was initiated. Seven aircraft including the Fairbanks Civil Air Patrol Squadron, an Alaska Wildlife Trooper Cessna 185, an HC-130 from the 211th Rescue Squadron in Anchorage and the National Park Service aircraft searched the northern side of the park.

On Thursday afternoon, searchers spotted the missing Cessna on a steep slope west of the East Fork of the Toklat River, approximately seven miles north of the Park Road.
A search plane was able to land later on the river bar and an Alaska State Trooper hiked to the wreckage.  The plane was severely damaged and burned to the point that the first responder could not discern how many human remains were in the wreck.

Kris Fister with the National Park Service said a bright spot was when word came that the pilot, Dan McGregor, was able to walk away from the crash site and is alive.

In spite of his injuries, he walked from the crash site seven miles north of the Park Road to the Igloo campground, adding another 13 miles to his struggle for safety. From there, two campers took him to his home outside the park boundaries.  He called his family to let them know he was alive and then called state troopers. 

McGregor was alert and in good spirits while being treated late Thursday by medics of the Park Service and Tri Valley Volunteer Fire Department, Fister said. An air ambulance came from Fairbanks and took him from Healy to a Seattle burn center. McGregor has confirmed that the remains in the plane are that of researcher Gordon Haber.

Fister said that the Park Service is still trying to locate and contact Haber’s family.

Park rangers were stationed at the remote crash site overnight to secure the scene. Investigators of the National Transportation and Safety Board are the primary investigators along with the Park Service. NTSB officials arrived on Friday at the crash site. Fister said investigators strive to complete the onsite documentation at the crash site  before weather starts to hamper the efforts.

The news has hit the conservation community in Alaska and around the nation hard. Haber has been researching Denali’s wolves since 1966.  He was often in the news as an advocate for the wolves of Denali and their habitat preservation.

In spite of his injuries, he walked from the crash site, 7 miles from the Park Road, to the Igloo Campground where 2 campers took him to his home outside the park boundaries.  He called his family to let them know he was alive and then called state troopers.  The Park Service was notified at 10:30 on Thursday night.

McGregor was alert and in good spirits while being treated late Thursday by the Tri Valley Volunteer Fire Department while waiting for the air ambulance to take him to Fairbanks. It is estimated that despite his burns, he walked 20 miles to get help.  He will be interviewed later by the NTSB for information on the crash.  He has confirmed that the remains in the plane are that of researcher Gordon Haber.

A private plane carrying wolf researcher Gordon Haber and pilot Dan McGregor, both of Denali, departed from the airstrip south of the park on Wednesday for a day flight.  They were thought to be on a routine flight to study wolves. The two men were reported overdue when they failed to return that night.

Seven aircraft became involved in the search, including four aircraft from the Fairbanks Civil Air Patrol  Squadron, an Alaska Wildlife Trooper Cessna 185, an HC-130 from the 211th Rescue Squadron in Anchorage and the National Park Service aircraft.  The search was contained to the northern side of the park, where wolves were known to travel.

Aerial searchers located what appears to be the missing Cessna 185 at approximately 3  pm yesterday (Thurs) on a steep slope west of the East Fork of the Toklat River, approximately 7 miles north of the Park Road.
A search plane was able to land later on the river bar and an Alaska State Trooper hiked to the wreckage.  The aircraft was substantially damaged by impact and fire, according to the Trooper, but he was able to determine the presence of human remains.

According to Kris Fister, park spokeswoman, the identification of the plane’s occupants, reported to be pilot Dan McGregor, 35, and his passenger Gordon Haber, 67, cannot be confirmed until a thorough investigation takes place. The crash was so damaging that it is impossible to tell how many bodies were in the plane. Fister says it might take awhile before the results are confirmed and the remains are indentified.

Haber has been researching Denali’s wolves since 1966.  He was often in the news as an advocate for the wolves of Denali and their habitat preservation. Fister guessed Haber had logged thousands of hours of flight time over Denali studying wolves. McGregor has been a pilot in the summer season for Denali Air for some years, was well respected by his employer and knew Denali terrain well.

The National Park Service and National Transportation Safety Board are continuing the investigation into the crash.

The search is underway for an overdue aircraft inside Denali National Park. Pilot Dan McGregor and independent wolf biologist, Gordon Haber, are on board.

There are 7 aircraft looking for the white and blue Cessna 185. The plane took off at noon Wednesday and was supposed to return by nightfall. The Park Service was notified about midnight that the plane was overdue.

Park spokeswoman, Kris Fister says a flight plan indicated the two men were looking for wolf packs. Haber has been studying Denali’s wolf packs for years and is a frequent flyer over Denali’s terrain. McGregor is a pilot in the summer season for Denali Air and is well versed in mountain flying.

Fister says the search is a joint command effort involving wildlife troopers, the military and the national park.

The search is focusing on the northern part of the park, where wolf packs are known to frequent.

Fister says the search will continue until dark Thursday night and resume on Friday if nothing is found.