Alaska State Troopers say all those on board two small planes died in a midair collision in the western part of the state.
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Investigators and a transportation disaster assistance specialist from the National Transportation Safety Board have been dispatched to the scene, the NTSB said.
A string of crashes in 2013 and 2014 placed Hageland under close scrutiny, the Dispatch reported, but improvements have been made, and Johnson said the company’s troubles are “in the past”.
Midair collisions are infrequent in the USA and most happen near airports.
The operators of both planes have reacted to the mishap.
A third aircraft flying overheard spotted the wreckage.
The crash occurred shortly before 11 pm to about 100 km north of Bethel, according to information from the National Guard in Alaska reported by ABC News.
“Rescue personnel on scene have confirmed there were no survivors in either aircraft”, Alaska State Troopers said in a statement.
Russian Mission is a Yup’ik Eskimo village along the Yukon River, about 376 miles west of Anchorage, according to a website for a school in the area. The Alaska State Troopers also responded.
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The Cessna belonged to Hageland Aviation Services, a regional airline, and the Piper was operated by Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures, she added. Babat was piloting a Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures Piper Super Cub and heading for a hunting camp. A Guard helicopter with medics on board left Bethel around noon to head to the crash site.
