ANCHORAGE (AP) -- Two hovercraft purchased at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport for Cook Inlet rescues had to be rescued Saturday afternoon.
At 11:30 a.m., four airport rescuers geared up and got into the airport's two hovercraft for a routine training run. They practiced just offshore from the west side of the airport.
Around 1 p.m., the drive mechanism broke in one hovercraft 100 yards offshore, according to airport and Anchorage Fire Department reports. The still-operational hovercraft ferried two people back to the shore to lighten the load and the pilot went back to the disabled craft, said Mark Butler, airport spokesman.
Then the second hovercraft ran out of gas, said 2nd Battalion Chief Doug Schrage. The Fire Department discussed taking gas out to the vessel but airport personnel couldn't provide the specialized fuel required in time, Schrage said.
The 210th Rescue Squadron at Kulis Air National Guard Base was put on notice in case a helicopter was needed.
Eventually, the agencies decided to call a private tug, which towed both hovercraft to the Port of Anchorage.
