Federal charges have been filed against a Halibut Cove woman in connection to an incident that occurred last summer with a floatplane.
Marian Tillion Beck, the owner of The Saltry Restaurant at Halibut Cove, was indicted last week by a federal grand jury on charges of attempted destruction and gross negligent operation.
An video of Aug. 23 shows an aluminum craft circling around a 1955 de Havilland Beaver, as the wake shakes the small aircraft as it attempts to leave the cove. Eric Lee, the pilot, was onboard the floatplane as he towed it back into the bay. There were seven other passengers.
Beck is not visible driving the boat in this video. However, people can hear her asking questions. Reddit has 360 comments about the video.
Eric Lee, the pilot of the plane, is the owner of Alaska Ultimate Safaris, a company based in Homer that offers bear-viewing tours. In August, he told Anchorage Daily News that he was on a sightseeing tour in Katmai National Park when Beck’s boat came “straight at him.”
The indictment provides very little information about the case. Beck and Lee were unable to be reached Friday by telephone.
