Four people have died after an aircraft plunged into a lagoon and disappeared beneath the surface near the Kenai Peninsula community of Seldovia in Alaska.
The crash occurred on Wednesday, 26 August at 1.18pm while the aircraft was travelling to the local airport. The aircraft became submerged approximately 17 feet underwater, according to Clint Johnson, Alaska region chief for the National Transportation Safety Board.
Recovery efforts and bystander attempts
Alaska State Troopers dispatched a rescue team by helicopter and boat, but despite their efforts, four people were declared dead after being recovered from the wreckage. Prior to the arrival of emergency services, Johnson said bystanders at the scene tried to reach the aircraft and save anyone trapped inside but were unable to access the wreckage.
The bodies of the four adults were recovered from within the aircraft at approximately 6.30pm once the tide had receded, officials confirmed.
Aircraft details and response
The aircraft, a Piper PA-24, sank entirely while travelling to Seldovia from Merrill Field Airport in Anchorage. Austin McDaniel, a State Department of Public Safety spokesman, said at the time that troopers and other agencies were responding to the area on Wednesday afternoon and would provide additional information.
Seldovia City Manager Heidi Geagel, who was on scene after the crash, confirmed the plane went down in the Seldovia Slough near the airport. The cause of the crash remains undetermined.
Previous incident in the area
This crash is not the first of its kind to take place in the area. A small private plane crashed near the Seldovia airport in 2019. At the time, Seldovia's police chief, Paul Cushman, said that five people were on board the aircraft, but no one was injured.
He explained that a resident who lived near the lagoon where the crash occurred helped those on board and called local authorities. “They were obviously very fortunate,” he said. “About as miraculous as a plane crash as you can have.”
