The Misty Fjords National Monument is a popular destination for floatplane excursions as well as pilots. Brenda Hattery/Pixabay
A de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver crashed Thursday, August 5, eight miles northeast of Ketchikan, Alaska. The pilot and all five passengers were killed.
The aircraft is owned by Southeast Aviation, which provides sightseeing tours, including one to the Misty Fjords National Monument.
According to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard, an EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon) registered to the aircraft was activated near the Misty Fjords area at 11:20 a.m. local time. Wreckage was reported on a ridgeline in the search area by a Temsco helicopter.
The Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, U.S. Forest Service, and volunteers from the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad responded. The Coast Guard located the wreckage at 2:37 p.m. in what was called a “steep mountainous area” in a statement from the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
The Coast Guard sent in two rescue swimmers. No survivors were reported.
The five passengers on the floatplane were guests on the Nieuw Amsterdam cruise ship operated by Holland America Line. The company confirmed the crash and sent condolences on its Twitter page.
According to the Coast Guard, weather conditions at the accident scene were:
- Light winds (5 knots)
- Two miles visibility, obscured by mist and light rain
- 900-foot ceilings
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