Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed a Super Sealane Cessna 182 on amphib floats at Cooking Lake Airport Monday. The aircraft was flying in the area when the pilot noticed smoke in the cockpit. He made an emergency landing at Cooking Lake in the nick of time and managed to escape the burning aircraft with minor burns. “He had some minor burns on his hands and his hair got singed,” Airport Manager Jim Johannsson told Seaplane Magazine. “We’re really, really thankful that he got on the ground fast.”
The fire destroyed most of the aircraft from the tail to the firewall and the airport was closed for several hours while the debris was cleaned up. The plane is a modified version of the 182 with a Continental IO-550 engine and increased payload. The cause of the fire has not been released.