ANCHORAGE -- A pilot jogging down the runway at a fishing lodge near Dillingham was attacked by a brown bear early Tuesday, Alaska Department of Fish & Game officials say.

The attack occurred about 5:45 a.m. at a lodge on Tikchik Narrows about 60 miles north of Dillingham. According to ADF&G biologist Larry Van Daele, the pilot was attacked from behind and bitten in the leg and both shoulders.

When the bear broke off the attack, the pilot was able to get himself back to the lodge. He was flown to the Dillingham hospital, accompanied by a doctor who was a guest at the lodge.

Van Daele says the man, who was conscious and coherent, was stabilized and sent to Providence Hospital in Anchorage. The most serious injury appeared to be a punctured lung, and the man apparently did not suffer any broken bones or serious bleeding.

Based on preliminary information, Van Daele says it appears the bear was instinctively chasing a fleeing object and broke off the attack when it discovered it was after a human. Van Daele planned to fly to the scene to investigate further as soon as weather permitted.

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