DeHavilland Beaver carrying a family of four and two dogs crashed moments after liftoff from Lake Spenard on Sunday afternoon, according to a federal investigator.
The pilot, his wife, two boys and the pets were uninjured but they were "shaken pretty good," said the investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.
The apparent cause of the accident, shortly before 2 p.m., was a strong gust of wind that apparently pushed the Beaver hard to the left; the pilot couldn't climb out of it before hitting ground next to a Lake Hood canal, said Howard Plagens, the NTSB investigator.
After the plane hit the ground, it crashed through a boundary fence and spun around on the grass next to the parking lot of the Alaska Department of Transportation office building, according to Plagens.
"He hit it just right not to have any injuries," Plagens said. "We are all very happy with that," he added.
Plagens said the pilot told him that there were no mechanical issues with his plane and liftoff was normal until the gust of wind struck the plane.
The planes N number is N915RC if any one wants to look up the accident report or for more photos of before and after the crash.