Recovery crews in Alaska on Friday reached the site of a sightseeing plane crash that killed all nine people on board, and the victims have been tentatively identified.
The pilot of the single-engine turboprop plane that crashed into a cliff face near Ketchikan during a sightseeing tour Thursday was identified as Bryan Krill, 64 of Hope, Idaho, the Alaska State Troopers said.
The eight passengers were identified as: Rowland Cheney, 71, and Mary Doucette, 59, both of Lodi, California; Glenda Cambiaso, 31, and Hugo Cambiaso, 65, both of North Potomac, Maryland; June Kranenburg, 73, and Leonard Kranenburg, 63, both of Medford, Oregon; and Margie Apodaca, 63, and Raymond Apodaca, 70, both of Sparks, Nevada.
Search crews reached the site of the crash near the Misty Fjords area near Ketchikan Friday, the Associated Press reported. The tentative identifications were made using the plane manifest and other records, and next of kin was notified, troopers said.
Chris John of the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad told the AP that the aircraft was sitting at a steep angle and three members from his organization had to secure it so they could safely work to recover the bodies.
The eight passengers were from the Holland America Line ship the MS Westerdam, which set off to Alaska from Seattle on June 20, Holland America said.
The DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter from tour company Promech Air was reported overdue at about 2:06 p.m. (6:06 p.m. ET) Thursday and a helicopter crew spotted the downed plane against the granite rock face about an hour later.
Promech President Marcus Seesoms said in a statement that "all of us share the pain and anguish of this terrible event. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to everyone touched by this tragedy."
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. Holland America Line said in an email Friday that all Promech tours have been suspended.
Promech advertises the float plane tours of the area by describing Misty Fjords National Monument as "spanning towering granite cliffs, 1,000-foot waterfalls, lush and remote valleys and serene crystalline lakes."
