Four Americans Dead After Small Plane Goes Down in Remote Alaska Waters

Liberty Check

• Four Americans lost their lives when a small aircraft crashed into shallow waters near a remote Alaskan coastal town, highlighting ongoing aviation safety concerns in the state’s challenging terrain.
• The Piper PA-24-260 went down in the Seldovia Slough during a routine flight from Anchorage, becoming fully submerged in 15 feet of water before recovery crews could reach the scene.
• This tragedy follows another deadly Alaska plane crash just last week that killed eight people, raising questions about flight safety protocols in the Last Frontier’s harsh conditions.

A small airplane crashed into shallow waters near a remote coastal town in Alaska on Wednesday, claiming the lives of all four people on board, according to state officials.

The aircraft, a Piper PA-24-260, was heading for an airport in the small town of Seldovia after departing from Merrill Field Airport in Anchorage when it went down at approximately 1:18 p.m. Seldovia’s airport sits about 136 miles southwest of Anchorage.

“Alaska State Troopers were notified that a small plane had crashed in the Seldovia Slough,” the Alaska Department of Public Safety said in a statement.

Emergency response teams faced immediate challenges reaching the crash site. A helicopter crew from Anchorage was dispatched while other troopers were sent by boat from Anchor Point.

Following the crash, the plane became completely submerged in approximately 15 feet of water in the Seldovia Slough near the shore, according to Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska region chief. Troopers were forced to wait until the tide receded before they could reach the aircraft.

Once the tide level dropped at about 6:30 p.m., recovery teams were able to retrieve the bodies of the four adult victims from the submerged plane. The bodies will be sent to the state medical examiner’s office for autopsy.

The victims’ names will be released once next of kin are notified, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Officials have not yet determined what may have led to the aircraft going down in the remote waterway.

This tragedy comes on the heels of another devastating plane crash last week at a remote military site in western Alaska that killed all eight people on board. That aircraft had been making its second runway approach in heavy fog, with pilots struggling to see the gravel airstrip.

In that incident, the Cessna’s two pilots were flying solely by instruments when the plane went down. Regulations required that the pilots abort their first landing attempt because of the lack of visibility.

The plane crashed on its second attempt, approximately one-third of a mile from the runway.

Alaska’s vast wilderness and challenging weather conditions make aviation a critical but often dangerous mode of transportation. The state has one of the highest rates of plane crashes in the nation, with many communities accessible only by air.

Our prayers go out to the families of these four Americans who lost their lives serving their communities in one of our nation’s most challenging environments.