Four people died Wednesday when a small airplane crashed into shallow waters near the remote Alaskan town of Seldovia. The aircraft, identified as a Piper PA-24-260, was en route to Seldovia from Merrill Field Airport in Anchorage when it went down around 1:18 p.m., according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
Alaska State Troopers were alerted to the crash in the Seldovia Slough. A helicopter crew from Anchorage and troopers dispatched by boat from Anchor Point responded to the scene. The plane was submerged in approximately 15 feet of water. Recovery efforts were delayed until the tide receded, allowing troopers to retrieve the bodies of the four adult victims from the submerged aircraft around 6:30 p.m. The victims' names will be released after their next of kin have been notified, and the bodies are scheduled for autopsy by the state medical examiner's office.
The cause of the crash is currently undetermined. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
This event follows another fatal plane crash last week at a remote military site in western Alaska, which resulted in the deaths of all eight people on board. In that incident, the aircraft was reportedly on its second landing attempt in heavy fog, struggling with visibility, and operating solely on instruments, despite regulations requiring an abort of the landing due to poor visibility.