Five killed in Alaska sightseeing plane crash

A sightseeing plane with a pilot and four cruise ship passengers on board crashed into steep mountainous terrain in south-east Alaska, killing everyone on board, the US Coast Guard said.

The wreckage of the single-engine floatplane was spotted yesterday by aerial searchers in the area where an aircraft distress signal had been picked up, said Len Laurance, a spokesman for Taquan Air, the Ketchikan-based operator.

Coast Guard Lt George Adams said Coast Guard helicopter crews at the heavily forested site were told by searchers at the scene that all aboard the de Havilland Beaver had died.

Earlier reports put the plane at an elevation of 2,400 feet, but Adams said the wing portion was located higher than the fuselage, indicating that the aircraft slid down after impact.

The floatplane left Ketchikan for a tour over Misty Fiords National Monument. It was reported missing after a Taquan dispatcher tried to contact the plane for 20 minutes without success, Laurance said.

The downed plane was located on land near the south arm of Rudyerd Bay about 35 miles north-east of Ketchikan.

Besides the Coast Guard, mountaineers with the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad, Alaska State Troopers and helicopter crews hired by Taquan also responded to the scene.

The passengers on board were travelling on the Sun Princess, a 856-foot ship with Princess Cruises that was on the second day of a seven-day round-trip cruise from Seattle.

The names of the pilot and passengers were not immediately released.

The cruise ship company has cut off Taquan Air tours at this time, Princess spokeswoman Julie Benson said in a prepared statement. Princess also has notified the families of the passengers.