Wreckage located on cliff face above lake after Otter aircraft went missing while taking passengers from Holland America Line ship on a tour

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

An excursion plane carrying sightseers from a Holland America Line cruise ship has crashed in south-east Alaska, with all nine on board killed including the pilot.

Reports said wreckage was located on a rocky cliff face about 800ft (240 metres) above a lake after the plane was reported missing on Thursday afternoon. Search and rescue crews were sent.

The crash occurred near Ella Lake, about 20 miles (30 km) north-east of the town of Ketchikan, the Seattle-based cruise company said in a statement.



“We have nine fatalities,” said Clint Johnson, head of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska office.



Rain and wind forced an end to recovery efforts on Thursday night in the rugged terrain about 20 miles north-east of Ketchikan, south-east Alaska. Officials would mount a recovery attempt again on Friday, he said.

The eight passengers were guests from the Westerdam, a ship on a seven-day cruise that departed Seattle on Saturday. Promech Air, an airline based in Ketchikan, operated the air excursion sold through Holland America Line, the cruise ship company said in a statement. The pilot was among the dead.

There was no immediate indication of why the DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter turboprop crashed. It was found on Thursday against the granite rock face of a cliff, 800ft (240 metres) above Ella Lake.



Johnson said it was too soon to know circumstances of the crash, including whether the plane flew into the cliff.



The NTSB was assembling a high-level team to investigate the crash, including three members from Alaska and at least two people from Washington DC.

“The initial rescue crew that went in had a very tough time because of the terrain,” Johnson said. “It’s a very steep, mountainous area and weather conditions caused them to stand down.’

Coast Guard Petty Officer Lauren Steenson said the agency received a report around 2.15pm that the plane was overdue. Troopers said an emergency locator transmitter activated in the Misty Fjords National Monument area and a helicopter pilot spotted the downed aircraft above the lake, which is about 800 miles (1,300km) south-east of Anchorage.

Holland America Line said in a statement: “We are incredibly distressed by this situation and our thoughts and prayers are with those onboard the plane and their families. Holland America Line is extending its full support to travelling companions of the guests involved.”



Promech said that the crash happened about 11.20am and the plane was one of five Otter aircraft in its fleet.

The Ketchikan Daily News reported the Westerdam had been scheduled to leave the city at 1pm but remained in port on Thursday evening.

The airline’s website advertises tours of the Misty Fjord National Monument in its float planes. “Towering granite cliffs, 1,000-foot waterfalls, lush and remote valleys and serene crystalline lakes make up this incredible landscape,” it says.