Kennywood
Kennywood
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6 dead in Alaska sightseeing plane crash, Coast Guard says
by Timothy Bella
Six people were killed after a sightseeing plane crashed Thursday in southeast Alaska, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard responded to a downed floatplane eight miles northeast of Ketchikan, Alaska. The floatplane was operated by the sightseeing company Southeast Aviation.
“An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka located the wreckage at 2:37 p.m. and lowered two rescue swimmers who reported no survivors,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The five passengers were traveling on a cruise with Holland America Line, the cruise line said in a statement. Neither the passengers nor the pilot have been publicly identified.
The cause of the fatal crash remains immediately unclear. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have announced they will be investigating the crash.
Officials with Southeast Aviation did not respond to a request for comment Friday. A company spokesperson told USA Today that “all of us share in the anguish of this tragic incident.”
“Our hearts are shattered at the loss of six people today,” the company said in a statement. “We are thinking of and grieving with the families of the five passengers and our dear friend and pilot aboard the aircraft.”
The five passengers on the flight were from the Holland America Line cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam, which had stopped in Ketchikan on Thursday. The ship was close to concluding a seven-day Alaskan cruise that began in Seattle on Saturday, the company said.
Alaska state troopers were first notified at 11:21 a.m. Thursday of a possible plane crash near Misty Fjords National Monument, a popular tourist attraction for sightseeing, authorities said. At the time of the crash, there was light rain and mist in the area, as well as two-mile visibility and moderate winds, according to the Coast Guard. Alaska state troopers in a dispatch described the location of the crash as a “steep mountainous area.”
An emergency alert signaled that a de Havilland Beaver floatplane, an aircraft capable of being supported by floats on water, was missing. Soon, state troopers were joined by the Coast Guard, the U.S. Forest Service and Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad in their attempt to find the downed aircraft, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Three hours later, authorities said they found the wreckage, confirming there were no survivors.
Southeast Aviation said on its website that the Ketchikan-based private company provides sightseeing tours and chartered trips around southeast Alaska. Holland America Line noted on Twitter that the flight was an independent tour not sold by the cruise line.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims,” Holland America Line tweeted. The cruise line delayed its Thursday afternoon departure from Ketchikan and said it was offering counseling services to crew and guests.
The fatal crash is one of a few major aviation incidents to hit the Ketchikan area in recent years. In 2015, nine people were killed after a floatplane crashed into a cliff. Like the Thursday crash, the passengers aboard, all of whom died, were tourists on a week-long Holland America Line cruise that departed from Seattle. In May 2019, two floatplanes collided in midair and killed six of the 16 people on board the planes. That crash was also carrying cruise-ship passengers.
Efforts are being coordinated to recover the bodies of the victims of Thursday’s crash, according to Alaska state troopers.
Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/6...h-coast-guard-says/ar-AAN10WR?ocid=uxbndlbing
by Timothy Bella
Six people were killed after a sightseeing plane crashed Thursday in southeast Alaska, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard responded to a downed floatplane eight miles northeast of Ketchikan, Alaska. The floatplane was operated by the sightseeing company Southeast Aviation.
“An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka located the wreckage at 2:37 p.m. and lowered two rescue swimmers who reported no survivors,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The five passengers were traveling on a cruise with Holland America Line, the cruise line said in a statement. Neither the passengers nor the pilot have been publicly identified.
The cause of the fatal crash remains immediately unclear. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have announced they will be investigating the crash.
Officials with Southeast Aviation did not respond to a request for comment Friday. A company spokesperson told USA Today that “all of us share in the anguish of this tragic incident.”
“Our hearts are shattered at the loss of six people today,” the company said in a statement. “We are thinking of and grieving with the families of the five passengers and our dear friend and pilot aboard the aircraft.”
The five passengers on the flight were from the Holland America Line cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam, which had stopped in Ketchikan on Thursday. The ship was close to concluding a seven-day Alaskan cruise that began in Seattle on Saturday, the company said.
Alaska state troopers were first notified at 11:21 a.m. Thursday of a possible plane crash near Misty Fjords National Monument, a popular tourist attraction for sightseeing, authorities said. At the time of the crash, there was light rain and mist in the area, as well as two-mile visibility and moderate winds, according to the Coast Guard. Alaska state troopers in a dispatch described the location of the crash as a “steep mountainous area.”
An emergency alert signaled that a de Havilland Beaver floatplane, an aircraft capable of being supported by floats on water, was missing. Soon, state troopers were joined by the Coast Guard, the U.S. Forest Service and Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad in their attempt to find the downed aircraft, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Three hours later, authorities said they found the wreckage, confirming there were no survivors.
Southeast Aviation said on its website that the Ketchikan-based private company provides sightseeing tours and chartered trips around southeast Alaska. Holland America Line noted on Twitter that the flight was an independent tour not sold by the cruise line.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims,” Holland America Line tweeted. The cruise line delayed its Thursday afternoon departure from Ketchikan and said it was offering counseling services to crew and guests.
The fatal crash is one of a few major aviation incidents to hit the Ketchikan area in recent years. In 2015, nine people were killed after a floatplane crashed into a cliff. Like the Thursday crash, the passengers aboard, all of whom died, were tourists on a week-long Holland America Line cruise that departed from Seattle. In May 2019, two floatplanes collided in midair and killed six of the 16 people on board the planes. That crash was also carrying cruise-ship passengers.
Efforts are being coordinated to recover the bodies of the victims of Thursday’s crash, according to Alaska state troopers.
Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/6...h-coast-guard-says/ar-AAN10WR?ocid=uxbndlbing
