Overview
- A Piper PA-24 flying from Anchorage to Seldovia crashed into the Seldovia Slough and came to rest under about 15 feet of water, with troopers recovering the four bodies after waiting for the tide to recede Wednesday.
- The National Transportation Safety Board has opened a formal investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration is involved, with officials treating the wreckage, maintenance records and pilot data as key evidence.
- The crash follows a separate accident less than a week earlier near Cape Newenham that killed eight people, and federal investigators are examining both incidents together to look for common causes.
- Responders faced local operational barriers in Seldovia because the aircraft was submerged and access depended on tidal changes, while remote Alaska flights commonly contend with short gravel runways, fog and limited ground support.
- Authorities sent the victims’ remains to the state medical examiner and are withholding names until next-of-kin are notified, and senators and federal agencies have requested briefings that could prompt safety and infrastructure reviews.