An Alaska plane crash killed five people Wednesday morning when two small planes collided in mid air over a remote, inaccessible area. A Renfro employee said the company was not immediately releasing information.
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The National Transportation Safety Board is aware of the collision and has sent three investigators and a transportation disaster assistance specialist to the scene, it said in a statement.
Midair collisions are infrequent in the U.S. and most happen near airports.
The operators of both planes have reacted to the mishap.
The collision occurred just before 11 a.m. Wednesday, Guard officials said. Fifteen minutes later, State Troopers reported another aircraft overdue.
Later in the day, an aircraft spotted wreckage of the two planes on the ground near Russian Mission, she said. The Alaska State Troopers also responded. Emergency clinicians have been made available in Bethel at YKHC’s Family Center.
Updated 3:00 p.m.
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.
In an email, the National Guard said the airplanes were a Hageland Aviation Cessna 208 Caravan carrying three people and a Super Cub from Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures carrying two people.
An Alaska Army National Guard helicopter ferrying medics was arriving at the crash site, Olmstead said.
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Charles Enoch contributed reporting to this story.
