A small plane carrying four people crashed into shallow waters next to a remote coastal town in Alaska on Wednesday, killing everyone on board, according to officials.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety said that at 1:18 p.m. local time, the Alaska State Troopers were notified that a small plane had crashed in the Seldovia Slough. Seldovia’s airport is about 219 kilometres southwest of Anchorage.
State Troopers and Wildlife Troopers from Anchor Point responded to the crash.
“A preliminary investigation determined that a Piper PA-24 bound for Seldovia from Merrill Field Airport in Anchorage had crashed into the water and was completely submerged,” the daily dispatch report said.
At 6:30 p.m. local time, after the tide level dropped, troopers were able to extract the four deceased adults from inside the small plane, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
“Their bodies are being sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy. Once the bodies have been positively identified and next of kin has been notified, the names of the deceased will be released,” the daily dispatch report added.
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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the cause of the crash.
Global News has reached out to the NTSB for further information, but has not received a response.
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska said he is awaiting a briefing from the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration as they work to determine what went wrong.
“These tragedies are heartbreaking and unacceptable, which is why aviation safety and infrastructure in Alaska continue to be a top focus of mine,” he said in a post on Facebook.
Less than a week earlier, a charter plane carrying eight people crashed near a remote radar site in Alaska, killing all on board, the U.S. military said.
The crash happened near Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, approximately 725 kilometres west of Anchorage, Alaska, according to The Associated Press.
The plane, a Cessna 411, had taken off from the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and was headed to Cape Newenham, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Two pilots and six passengers had been on board, according to Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Alaska region chief.
“This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve,” U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Eleventh Air Force, said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The statement referred to the plane involved in the crash as a “civilian-contracted aircraft.”
Davis described those on board as “dedicated professionals carrying out a vital mission in a demanding environment. Our absolute priority right now is providing unwavering support to their families, friends and teammates during this devastating time. We are profoundly grateful for the swift and tireless response of our search and recovery professionals.”
In a statement to Global News on Aug. 20, the NTSB said that it had “opened an investigation into Thursday’s crash of a Cessna 441 airplane operated by Security Aviation as an air taxi flight from Anchorage to Cape Newenham, Alaska. The plane crashed into mountainous terrain near Newenham.”
“Five NTSB investigators are traveling to the accident site. After the wreckage is documented, it will be recovered and moved to a secure facility for further examination,” the NTSB added.
“NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment.”
—With files from The Associated Press
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