Former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and four others were killed Monday morning when a DeHavilland DHC-Z3T Otter floatplane collided into a remote Alaskan mountainside on Monday afternoon.
The four other passengers who died with Stevens were the plane’s pilot, Theron Smith, attorney and lobbyist, William Phillips Sr., telecommunications SVP, Dana Tindall, and her 16-year-old daughter Corey Tindall.
Witnesses on the ground say the DeHavilland, which was carrying nine passengers, appeared to be bouncing up the mountainside in a full-climb before collision. In spite of adverse weather conditions, rescuers from nearby Dillingham, Alaska, were able to reach the crash site within minutes.
Rescuers tended to the injured and spent Monday night on the mountain with survivors until National Guardsmen arrived Tuesday morning.
Among the survivors are ex-NASA chief Sean O’Keefe and his teenage son Kevin O’Keefe, both who survived the crash with broken bones and other serious injuries. Two other survivors are reported to be in serious condition at Providence Alaska Medical Center.
According to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports, the plane took off at 2 p.m. on Monday from Lake Nerka, heading toward a salmon fishing camp on Lake Aleknagik. The plane crashed 15 minutes later.
Thought the cause of the crash is still pending investigation, even in good weather flying through the mountains near Dillingham can be dangerous.
Learn more about Stevens’ state in our Alaska Travel section.
The state of Alaska depends heavily on small-plane aviation as a means of transportation, but because of the terrain and foggy weather, it also accounts for 22 percent of all small-plane crashes nationwide, according to NTSB data.
On Wednesday, NTSB investigators continued to be blocked from visiting the site by poor visibility and weather conditions. Small aircraft usually do not carry a black box or flight data recorder, but investigators expect to find some clues among the remains of the plane.
The death of Stevens, 86, has been a shock to Alaskans. Stevens was appointed to the Senate in 1968 and spent 40 years in the Senate, longer than any other Republican in history. In his time in the Senate, Stevens earned a reputation as a relentless advocate for Alaskan economic interests.
He now joins the ranks of 15 other U.S. politicians that have died in plane crashes since 1972. The Alaskan who replaced Stevens in the Senate, Democrat Mark Begich, was a child when his father, Alaska Congressman Nick Begich, died in a plane crash in 1972.
Stevens was also one of two survivors in a 1978 plane crash at Anchorage International Airport. Steven’s wife, Ann, was killed in the crash.
By Adriana Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com.
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