The Knik River is close enough to Anchorage that small aircraft frequent the area. It’s good flying country, the river on a meander, slashing across itself as it makes its way past Pioneer Peak and empties into the sea. In places like this, Robert Hansen’s worst nightmare was unexpected company. A skilled pilot, with fat tires, can land on the many gravel bars of the Knik and take in the sights up close.
Robert Hansen was such a pilot. But he wasn’t the only one. It was hard to tell, sometimes, if another plane was just on a flyover or had more serious intentions. For a man like Robert Hansen, up to no good in the first place, the best course was to think the worst. Unexpected company could end up getting people killed.
[Transcript lightly edited for clarity]
RH: I landed out there and ah, it was all fine, you know, right away I reached in and ah got her loose — we — awful hard for me in the first place to get her out of the airplane when she was still handcuffed up, you know. So each time, you know, I just reached in there and unhooked her, so she can grab the back of the seat and window supports in front, you know, then she can step on out and ah, I grabbed her after she stepped down.
Knik River, Aerial View (Alaska State Troopers)
RH: The spot that you land out there is all gravel, then there’s some woods over here. And there’s a shack in here, it was — or — when they first — excuse me — it was a frame for a tent cabin, in other words the walls were only about so high, but now they added — the people that own it or claim it or whatever, they’ve added higher walls around it now and enclosed it. And then they have a meat shack out here, which it’s the same way, it’s only half walls around, but then with a roof on it, but screened in with a door on it so they can — there’s a bar through the middle of it so they can hang moose meat and stuff in it so it can cool down — flies don’t get to it and so forth.
Gravel Bar Landing, Knik River (Dan’s Aircraft Repair)
RH: I imagine that’s what this was put out here for, someone wanted to hunt moose out here. And ah, they was probably reaching here by riverboat or fourwheel drive truck. You can’t drive your — if you know the river at all, the river is real firm. I’ve seen tire tracks going through this, so I know people have been through there. I could never get my pickup through there but it’s possible, ‘cause I’ve seen the tire tracks. Anyway, although of course when I found this spot here, you know, I was going by tire tracks of planes out here. You can see where planes have been landing out here numerous times.
Unexpected Company
RH: Anyway I landed here and pulled down here, and in a ways, and stopped my airplane. Ah, and got her out and so forth and got the handcuffs off and just took her by the arm. When you’re down there you can see the shack here. I said to her this is where we’re going to spend the day, you know, and ah, walked in here — just walking in here.
Just as we was walking in here, goddamn a damn plane come down the river — he came from up river, going down around and big circles over — he made a pass around. Oh shit — that son-of-a-bitch was going to stop.
Purchase Butcher, Baker