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Juneau, Alaska (AP) —Six people killed in a tourist plane crash were recovered and identified after crew struggled to reach the wreckage of southeastern Alaska first due to bad weather.
Alaska state police officers identified a pilot and five passengers late Saturday after the crash on Thursday. The aircraft went down when the pilot was returning passengers from Misty Fjords National Monument to Ketchikan.
The passengers who died were Mark Henderson, 69, and Jacklin Complin, 60, in Napa, California. Andrea MacArthur (55) and Rachel MacArthur (20), both from Woodstock, Georgia. Janet Kroll, 77, from Mount Prospect, Illinois. The pilot was Rolf Lansendorfer, 64, from Kreelm, Washington.
All five passengers were on an excursion from the Holland America Line cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam. Ketchikan is a popular stop for cruise ships visiting Alaska, allowing cruise ship passengers to take a variety of sightseeing tours while in the harbor.
One of the most popular is the small plane to Misty Fjords National Monument. Here, visitors can see glacier valleys, snow-capped peaks and lakes in the wilderness area.
According to the US Coast Guard, the plane’s emergency beacon was activated when it crashed near the monument around 11:20 am on Thursday.
The helicopter company reported that wreckage was found on the ridge of the search area, and the Coast Guard crew found the wreckage at around 2:40 pm. A Coast Guard helicopter dropped two rescue workers on the scene and reported no survivors.
But bad weather and poor visibility Hindered initial efforts Recover the body. Alaskan soldiers and members of the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Team arrived at the crash site via a chartered Temsco helicopter on Saturday afternoon.
The bodies of the six dead will be taken to the state coroner’s office in Anchorage, soldiers said.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration was also investigating.
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