Precarious position of a flightseeing plane at Denali National Park/NPS

A "flightseeing" plane that crashed into a ridgeline in Denali National Park, killing all five aboard, will not be recovered because of the precarious position it is in and the threat that poses to potential rescuers, the National Park Service has decided.

"The crevasse where the wreckage sits is a dangerous and potentially fatal terrain trap should even a small avalanche occur. The aircraft is broken in half behind the wing, and the tail section of the fuselage is actively pulling down the aircraft towards a glacier 3,500 feet below," park staff said. "Additionally, more than two and a half feet of new snow has fallen at the crash site and loaded the nearly 45-degree slope just above the aircraft."

The plane, a de Havilland Beaver, crashed August 4 not far below the summit of 10,920-foot Thunder Mountain, which stands more like a ridgeline than a mountain. While some of those on board -- the pilot and four visitors from Poland -- survived the crash, they all perished before Denali climbing rangers reached the wreckage on August 6. A ranger who was lowered to the wreckage from a rope dangled from a helicopter determined that there were no survivors, but only had about five minutes to assess the wreck.