Four people died Wednesday when a Piper PA-24 crashed into shallow coastal waters near Seldovia, Alaska. The Alaska Department of Public Safety reported that the aircraft was traveling from Anchorage to Seldovia, a community located approximately 136 miles southwest of Anchorage, when it went down in the Seldovia Slough.
The aircraft became submerged in roughly 15 feet of water near the shoreline. Alaska State Troopers dispatched a helicopter crew from Anchorage and personnel by boat to the scene, but they were initially unable to reach the wreckage. Recovery teams had to wait for the tide to recede before they could access the plane and retrieve the remains of the four adults on board.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the cause of the crash. The identities of the deceased have not been released pending notification of their relatives, and their remains have been sent to the state medical examiner. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) stated he expects a full briefing on the incident, describing aviation safety as a primary focus.
For Alaskans, particularly those in the hundreds of communities not connected by road, small aircraft are the primary method for receiving mail, groceries, and medical care. A single crash can have a concentrated impact on small towns like Seldovia or the operational capacity of agencies like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Families of the four deceased will be notified by the Department of Public Safety before names are released publicly, a process that typically begins immediately following the recovery of remains.
The two investigations will focus on different environmental and mechanical factors. While the Seldovia crash cause remains unknown, the previous crash on August 20 involved a Cessna 441 attempting to land in heavy fog at the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site. The NTSB will continue to document accident sites and examine wreckage to determine if regulatory changes or infrastructure improvements are necessary. No specific dates for the release of preliminary or final reports have been provided.