ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Eight cruise ship passengers and their pilot died on a sightseeing excursion in Alaska when their small plane crashed in remote and rugged terrain.
Wind and rain prevented any recovery after the wreckage of the aircraft was found Thursday against a granite rock face, 800 feet above a lake, in southeastern Alaska. Emergency crews on Friday will try to recover the remains of the victims, whose names have not been released.
There was no immediate indication why the DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter turboprop went down. It was too soon to know circumstances of the crash, including whether the plane flew into the cliff, said Clint Johnson, head of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska office.
“The initial rescue crew that went in had a very tough time because of the terrain,” Johnson said. “It’s a very steep, mountainous area, and weather conditions caused them to stand down.”
The Coast Guard received a report around 2:15 p.m. that the plane was overdue, Petty Officer Lauren Steenson said. Officials said an emergency locator transmitter activated in the Misty Fjords National Monument, and a helicopter pilot spotted the downed aircraft above Ella Lake, about 800 miles southeast of Anchorage.