You’ve probably seen the photo. It’s a white and blue Piper Cub, or maybe a Super Cub depending on the grainy resolution of the JPEG, looking like it was mummified by a giant spider. Except the silk is silver. This isn't some backyard DIY project or a "Red Green Show" skit gone wrong. This is the duct tape plane, a real-world survival story from the Alaskan wilderness that proves sometimes the most "jank" solution is the only one that keeps you alive.
Bear attacks usually involve claws, teeth, and terrifying close encounters in the brush. But in 2009, a fisherman named Gary LaRose experienced a different kind of grizzly encounter. He wasn't the target. His plane was.
While LaRose was out fishing in a remote part of southwest Alaska, a massive grizzly decided his parked aircraft looked like a giant, aluminum-flavored snack. Or maybe it smelled some old fish guts left in the backseat. Whatever the motivation, the bear went to town. It shredded the fabric skin of the fuselage, smashed the windows, and even popped the tires.
When LaRose returned, he didn't find a wreck he could just walk away from. He was stuck.
Why a Grizzly Decided to Eat an Airplane
Bears are curious. That’s a polite way of saying they are destructive tanks driven by their noses. In the case of the legendary duct tape plane, the grizzly likely caught a whiff of something interesting inside the cockpit.
People often forget that many bush planes, like the Piper PA-18 Super Cub, aren't solid metal. They are "tube and fabric" construction. We're talking about a steel or aluminum frame covered in a heavy-duty polyester or cotton fabric, which is then "doped" or painted to make it airtight and rigid. To a bear, that's basically just thick wrapping paper.
The bear didn't just scratch it. It systematically peeled the plane. It used its claws to rip long gashes from the tail to the cockpit. It smashed the plexiglass. It even chewed on the tailwheel. Honestly, looking at the "before" photos, most pilots would have called for a heavy-lift helicopter recovery or just written the whole thing off as an insurance total.
But bush pilots in Alaska are a different breed. They don't have the luxury of waiting for a tow truck when the nearest road is 150 miles away.
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The MacGyver Moment: 27 Rolls of Silver Salvation
LaRose didn't panic. He radioed for help, but he didn't ask for a rescue flight to take him home and leave his bird behind. Instead, he requested supplies.
He needed three things:
- Two new tires.
- A couple of cases of duct tape.
- More plexiglass.
His friend flew in with the loot. Then, the real work began. They didn't have a hangar. They didn't have specialized aviation tools. They just had the wind, the dirt, and an incredible amount of adhesive.
They spent the next few hours wrapping the fuselage. They didn't just patch the holes; they essentially rebuilt the outer skin of the aircraft using nothing but silver tape. They ran strips lengthwise. They wrapped it around the belly. They taped the windows back into place. By the time they were done, the duct tape plane looked more like a silver cigar than a functional aircraft.
It was ugly. It was heavy. It was aerodynamic sacrilege.
But would it fly?
The Physics of Flying a Tape-Wrapped Bird
Aviation is usually a world of "by the book" maintenance. You don't just "fix" a wing with tape and hope for the best. There are strict FAA regulations about what constitutes an airworthy repair.
However, in an emergency "life or limb" situation in the bush, the rules get a bit blurry. The primary goal was to get the plane to a location where it could actually be repaired properly.
The concern with the duct tape plane wasn't necessarily the strength of the tape itself—duct tape is surprisingly strong in tension—but the lift. Airplane wings and fuselages are designed to be smooth to allow laminar flow. All those ridges and overlapping edges of tape create "parasitic drag." If the drag is too high, the plane might not reach takeoff speed. If the tape peels off in mid-air, it could get caught in the tail assembly (the empennage) and jam the elevators or rudder. That's a death sentence.
LaRose took the risk. He taxied the silver mummy across the rough tundra, throttled up, and lifted off.
The tape held. He flew that plane all the way back to an airstrip where it could undergo a full, professional rebuild. It wasn't a long flight, but it was long enough to cement the story into aviation folklore.
MythBusters and the Duct Tape Plane Legacy
You might remember this story from a 2009 episode of MythBusters. Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman took the concept even further. They didn't just patch a plane; they tried to build components out of the stuff.
They proved that while a bear-damaged plane can be saved by duct tape, you can actually build a rudimentary "skin" for a small craft that will sustain flight. It’s a testament to the versatility of the material. But let’s be clear: the Alaskan duct tape plane is the "patient zero" for this obsession.
It also highlights a weird truth about the aviation community. Pilots are simultaneously the most rule-abiding people on the planet and the most "hold my beer" innovators when things go sideways.
What This Teaches Us About Survival
The duct tape plane isn't just a funny story about a bear. It’s a masterclass in field expediency. Most people see a destroyed piece of equipment and see a dead end. LaRose saw the frame was still straight. The engine still turned. The "bones" were good.
If the structural integrity of the fuselage—the steel tubes—had been bent or snapped by the bear, no amount of tape would have saved him. But because the damage was "topical" (even if it was massive), the plane was technically still a machine. It just lacked its skin.
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Key Takeaways from the Duct Tape Plane Incident
- Assess the "Bones": In any mechanical failure, distinguish between cosmetic/surface damage and structural failure. The duct tape plane flew because the engine and frame were intact.
- Redundancy is King: LaRose didn't use one roll. He used dozens. When using temporary fixes, over-engineer the solution.
- Adhesion Matters: Real duct tape (not the cheap plastic stuff from the dollar store) has a high-tack adhesive that performs surprisingly well in the cold, though it struggles with moisture.
- Don't Leave Food in the Plane: The most practical lesson? Bears don't care about your tail number. If it smells like salmon, they will treat your $100,000 aircraft like a tin of sardines.
Moving Forward: Protecting Your Gear in Bear Country
If you’re traveling through Alaska or any remote wilderness, the duct tape plane serves as a permanent reminder to secure your perimeter.
Modern bush pilots often use portable electric fences—small, battery-powered wires they string around the plane when parked overnight. It weighs a few pounds and delivers enough of a shock to keep a curious grizzly from testing the tensile strength of your fuselage.
Also, it's worth investing in high-quality repair kits. While duct tape saved the day here, specialized "aviation speed tape" (which is actually aluminum foil with a crazy-strong adhesive) is the professional version of this fix. It’s rated for high speeds and won't peel off as easily as the silver cloth tape you find at a hardware store.
If you find yourself in a situation where your gear is shredded, remember Gary LaRose. Look at what’s left, not what’s gone. Sometimes, the difference between being stranded and getting home is just a few dozen rolls of tape and the guts to see if it’ll still fly.
Next Steps for the Prepared Traveler:
- Audit your emergency kit: Ensure you carry at least two rolls of "Gorilla" grade or industrial duct tape in your vehicle or bush kit.
- Study bear behavior: Understand that "curiosity" damage is often more common than predatory attacks; keep all scented items (food, toothpaste, fuel) in bear-proof containers away from your primary equipment.
- Learn basic field repairs: Familiarize yourself with how your specific gear is constructed so you know what is "fixable" and what is a structural "no-go."