Five people are dead and one is unaccounted for after two floatplanes carrying passengers from a cruise excursion collided mid-air in Alaska, NBC News reported.

The two planes carried 14 passengers from a seven-day roundtrip cruise out of Vancouver, according to a statement Monday from Royal Princess Cruises.

The planes collided mid-air about eight nautical miles from Ketchikan, Alaska, at the southeastern end of the state at about 1 p.m. local time. </s> ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Three people were killed after two sightseeing airplanes carrying cruise ship tourists collided in midair Monday near a southeast Alaska town, the Coast Guard said.

Three others are missing after the collision about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Ketchikan, Coast Guard Lt. Brian Dykens said.

The Coast Guard had a cutter onsite and planned to work overnight to find the missing.

The National Transportation Board was sending an elite investigative team from Washington, D.C., to investigate the crash, another deadly mishap for cruise ship passengers taking side excursions off cruise ships in Ketchikan.

The floatplanes with passengers from Princess Cruises' Royal Princess ship collided under unknown circumstances, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said in an email to The Associated Press. Floatplanes have pontoons mounted under the fuselage so they can land on water.

Eleven people were inside Taquan Air's single-engine de Havilland Otter DHC-3 when it went down as it returned from Misty Fjords National Monument, which is part of the Tongass National Forest, the nation's largest. Ten were taken to a Ketchikan hospital.

All patients were in fair or good condition, according to Marty West, a spokeswoman for PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center.

The three people who died were among five people aboard the second plane, a single-engine de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, according to Dykens.

Local emergency responders worked with state and federal agencies and good Samaritan vessels to help rescue and recover victims.

"It's been a long day and the crews have been working really hard to rescue people and recover the deceased. They're still working on a search and recovery of three more individuals," Deanna Thomas, a spokeswoman for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, the local government, said Monday evening.

All 14 passengers were on sightseeing flights. The plane with 11 on board was operated by Taquan Air. A spokeswoman for the flightseeing company said Taquan has suspended operations while federal authorities investigate the deadly crash. The other four, Princess Cruises said in a statement, were on an independent tour.

"We are devastated by today's incident and our hearts go out to our passengers and their families," Taquan said in a statement. "At this time, we are in the midst of an active crisis response, and our focus is on assisting these passengers, the pilot, our staff, their families and loved ones, and first responders."

Cindy Cicchetti, a passenger on the Royal Princess cruise ship, told the AP that the ship captain announced that two planes were in an accident Monday. She said the ship is not leaving as scheduled and there weren't any details as to how the accident will affect the rest of the trip.

The ship left Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 11 and is scheduled to arrive in Anchorage on Saturday.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives and the families of those impacted by today's accident. Princess Cruises is extending its full support to traveling companions of the guests involved," Princess Cruises said in its statement.

Weather conditions in the area on Monday included high overcast skies with 9 mph (14 kph) southeast winds.

A pilot and eight cruise ship passengers died June 25, 2015, when a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter operated by Promech Air Inc. crashed into mountainous terrain about 24 miles (38 kilometers) from Ketchikan, also as it was returning from Misty Fjords.

Associated Press journalist Michelle A. Monroe in Phoenix contributed to this report. </s> Five people have died and one person is missing after two float planes carrying cruise ship guests crashed into each other, according to reports.

One person is missing and 10 have been injured after the aircraft reportedly went down near Ketchikan, Alaska, US, at around 9.09pm last night [GMT].

Both of the sightseeing planes were carrying tourists from the Royal Princess ship, owned by Princess Cruises, when they crashed off the coast of Alaska.

A statement from the cruise firm said: "The flight was returning from a Misty Fjords tour and carried ten guests from Royal Princess and a pilot.

"A second float plane was also involved in an incident and was carrying four guests from Royal Princess on an independent tour.

"We are incredibly distressed by this situation and our thoughts and prayers are with those on board the planes and their families.

"The U.S. Coast Guard and local search and rescue teams have confirmed that nine of the guests on the Taquan Air plane have been rescued and are receiving medical attention, with the condition of one guest still unknown.

"It has also been confirmed there are five fatalities from the independent air tour, four Royal Princess guests and one pilot."

KTUU-TV, an Alaskan television station, reported that the two planes crashed into each other, leaving five dead and one missing.

There were 16 people on board the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and de Havilland Otter, which crashed into each other in mid-air, according to the station.

Local media originally reported that ten people were hospitalised in the crash, with one critically injured, three in a serious condition and six others in a fair condition.

A spokesman for Taquan Air, which organised one of the flights, said it had suspended operations while authorities investigate the crash.

We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.

Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story here at Mirror.co.uk.

For the latest news and breaking news visit Mirror.co.uk/news. </s> KETCHIKAN, Alaska — Five people are dead after two float planes collided in flight Monday afternoon near Ketchikan, Alaska, according to a news release from Princess Cruises.

The crash took place around 1 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) when a small floatplane — an aircraft with pontoons or floats that allow it to land on water — operated by Taquan Air was flying a shore excursion. The flight, sold through Princess Cruises, was returning from a tour of Alaska’s Misty Fjords and was carrying 10 passengers and a pilot.

The second plane involved was carrying four passengers from Royal Princess on an separate tour, the release said.

The four passengers on the Royal Princess plane and one pilot were confirmed dead, the release said.

Nine of the passengers on the Taquan Air plane were rescued and received medical attention with one passenger’s condition still unknown, the release said. The release did not say what happened to the pilot.

“We are deeply saddened to report this news and our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives and the families of those impacted by today’s accident. Princess Cruises is extending its full support to traveling companions of the guests involved,” the company said. </s> ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A team of federal accident investigators is expected to arrive in Alaska Tuesday to try to piece together what caused a deadly midair collision between two sightseeing planes.

Four people were killed after the floatplanes carrying cruise ship tourists collided Monday near the southeast Alaska town of Ketchikan, the Coast Guard said. Two others were missing, said Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios, a Coast Guard spokesman.

The Washington, D.C.-based investigative team from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive in Ketchikan Tuesday afternoon, agency spokesman Peter Knudson said. He said board member Jennifer Homendy also is traveling with the so-called "Go Team," which investigates major accidents.

The floatplanes collided under unknown circumstances, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said in an email to The Associated Press. Floatplanes have pontoons mounted under the fuselage so they can land on water.

The passengers were from the cruise ship Royal Princess and were on sightseeing flights, one of which was operated by flightseeing company Taquan Air.

Eleven people were inside Taquan's single-engine de Havilland Otter DHC-3 when it went down as it returned from Misty Fjords National Monument, which is part of the Tongass National Forest, the nation's largest. Ten people were taken to a Ketchikan hospital.

All patients were in fair or good condition, according to Marty West, a spokeswoman for PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center.

Three people who died were among five people aboard the second plane, a single-engine de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, according to Coast Guard Lt. Brian Dykens. It's unclear which plane carried the fourth victim, whose body was recovered during a Monday night search, Rios said.

Local emergency responders worked with state and federal agencies and good Samaritan vessels to help rescue and recover victims.

"It's been a long day and the crews have been working really hard to rescue people and recover the deceased," Deanna Thomas, a spokeswoman for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, the local government, said Monday evening.

A spokeswoman for Taquan Air, operator of the Otter, said the company had suspended operations while federal authorities investigate the deadly crash.

"We are devastated by today's incident and our hearts go out to our passengers and their families," Taquan said in a statement.

Cindy Cicchetti, a passenger on the Royal Princess cruise ship told the AP that the ship captain announced that two planes were in an accident Monday. She said the ship is not leaving as scheduled and there weren't any details as to how the accident will affect the rest of the trip.

The ship left Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 11 and is scheduled to arrive in Anchorage on Saturday.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives and the families of those impacted by today's accident. Princess Cruises is extending its full support to traveling companions of the guests involved," Princess Cruises said in a statement.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

Weather conditions in the area on Monday included high overcast skies with 9 mph (14 kph) southeast winds.

It's not the first time a major plane crash has occurred near Ketchikan, a popular tourist destination.

In June 2015, a pilot and eight passengers died when a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter operated by Promech Air Inc. crashed into mountainous terrain about 24 miles (39 kilometers) from Ketchikan. The NTSB later determined that pilot error and lack of a formal safety program were behind the crash. </s> Anchorage — A team of federal accident investigators is expected to arrive in Alaska Tuesday to try to piece together what caused a deadly midair collision between two sightseeing planes. Four people were killed when the floatplanes carrying cruise ship tourists collided Monday near the southeast Alaska town of Ketchikan, the Coast Guard said.

Two others were missing, according to Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios, a Coast Guard spokesman.

Princess Cruises said one of the planes was flying a shore excursion sold through its cruise line, and that it was carrying ten guests and a pilot. The second plane, an independent flight tour, was carrying four people from the cruise ship Royal Princess as well as a pilot, it said.

Multiple people were rescued, according to Princess Cruises and the Coast Guard.

Both aircraft plunged into waters below, where they are submerged, a source familiar with the situation told CBS News. Investigators believe one came to rest in a lake, the other in the ocean. It was unclear how far apart they are.

A Washington, D.C.-based investigative team from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive in Ketchikan Tuesday afternoon, agency spokesman Peter Knudson said. He said board member Jennifer Homendy also is traveling with the so-called "Go Team," which investigates major accidents.

The floatplanes collided under unknown circumstances, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said in an email to The Associated Press. Floatplanes have pontoons mounted under the fuselage so they can land on water.

Emergency response crews transport an injured passenger to an ambulance at the George Inlet Lodge docks, Monday, May 13, 2019, in Ketchikan, Alaska. Dustin Safranek/Ketchikan Daily News via AP

Local emergency responders worked with state and federal agencies and good Samaritan vessels to help rescue and recover victims.

"It's been a long day and the crews have been working really hard to rescue people and recover the deceased," Deanna Thomas, a spokeswoman for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, the local government, said Monday evening.

Map shows location of sightseeing plane collision near Ketchikan, Alaska on May 13, 2019 Google Maps

A spokeswoman for Taquan Air, operator of one of the planes, said the company had suspended operations while federal authorities investigate the deadly crash.

"We are devastated by today's incident and our hearts go out to our passengers and their families," Taquan said in a statement.

Cindy Cicchetti, a passenger on the Royal Princess cruise ship, told the AP the ship was not leaving as scheduled and there weren't any details on how the accident will affect the rest of the trip. The ship left Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 11 and was scheduled to arrive in Anchorage on Saturday.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives and the families of those impacted by today's accident. Princess Cruises is extending its full support to traveling companions of the guests involved," Princess Cruises said in a statement.

It wasn't the first major plane crash near Ketchikan, a popular tourist destination. In June 2015, a pilot and eight passengers died when a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter operated by Promech Air Inc. crashed into mountainous terrain about 24 miles from Ketchikan. The NTSB later determined that pilot error and lack of a formal safety program were behind the crash.

Weather conditions in the area on Monday included high overcast skies with 9 mph southeast winds. </s> At least four people were killed, 10 people injured and two missing after two small planes carrying cruise ship passengers collided in midair on Monday afternoon over a remote part of southeast Alaska, the authorities said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the two small propeller planes — which had pontoons to land on water — to crash near George Inlet about 1 p.m., Alaska Standard Time.

Lt. Brian Dykens, a Coast Guard spokesman, said that passengers of Princess Cruises were on the planes, but that he did not have further details.

More than 50 members of the United States Coast Guard were using helicopters and boats to search the waters for the missing people, Lieutenant Dykens said. </s> Two people were killed on Monday after a Taquan Air floatplane crashed off the coast of Ketchikan, Alaska – the regional airline’s second deadly accident within a week.

A pilot and a passenger aboard the single-propeller Beaver floatplane were both killed when it crashed into the Metlakatla Harbor at 4pm yesterday, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough said.

Neither of the two victims have been identified pending family notification, but officials say they were the only people on-board.

The cause and circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation, but the weather was clear and visibility was optimum, according to Jerry Kiffer, Incident Commander for Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad.

‘It was a typical Ketchikan day,’ Kiffer told the Juneau Empire. ‘It’s our understanding that the aircraft was landing in the harbor [before it crashed].’

Kiffer added that by the time rescue squad personnel arrived at the scene, the two people aboard the plane had already been removed and good Samaritans have secured the plane in the harbor.

This is the second Taquan Air Beaver floatplane to be involved in a deadly crash in the last seven days.

‘It’s unusual,’ Kiffer said. ‘We have had multiple fatal accidents before, but not in recent years. I don’t recall there being something within a week.’

On May 13, six people were killed and 10 others injured when a Taquan Air flight collided in mid-air with a Mountain Air plane 3,300 feet above the skies of Ketchikan.

Both of the aircrafts had been shepherding tourists from a cruise ship to the shore when the collision occurred.

Retired fisherman Chuck Hanas was out on his boat with his wife Colleen when they saw the violent crash and the planes fall into the water.

'It was just me. I was at the right place at the right time,' Hanas said to the Today show.

'I got in close and saw people bobbing all over the place. I didn’t know how many. And then they had seen me and one lady said "Help, Help!"' he added.

They called the Coast Guard after seeing the plane horrifically crash and fall in the George Inlet in southeast Alaska.

'It was shocking to see an airplane hit the water that hard and rip the floats off and turn upside down at the same time. I’m not sure anybody was even able to get out of there,' he said.

'I was kind of running on autopilot at that point. I didn’t really think anything other than I was just trying to get the people out of the water,' he added.

He said he saw an injured pilot with bloody lacerations to his face also scramble to get passengers to safety.

'He didn’t speak but he did shake my hand,' Hanas recalled on working together to pull the passengers out of the icy water before hypothermia set in.

Six people died in the collision including four Americans, a Canadian, and an Australian.

Among those victims was a newly married couple ready to start a family, a pilot who used his family's savings to buy his own plane, a devoted family man from Australia and an office manager at an insurance company.

There were a total of 14 passengers and two pilots on the two planes. The passengers were from the cruise ship Royal Princess that was on a seven-day trip in Alaska that offered the sea planes trip as an excursion off the port community of Ketchikan.

Alaska State Troopers identified the passengers who died as 46-year-old Louis Botha of San Diego, 56-year-old Simon Bodie from Tempe, New South Wales, Australia, 62-year-old Cassandra Webb from St. Louis, 39-year-old Ryan Wilk from Utah and 37-year-old Elsa Wilk of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Also killed was the pilot of one of the planes, 46-year-old Randy Sullivan of Ketchikan.

Simon Bodie was the sole Australian on the sea plane. He was a 56-year-old businessman from Tempe, New South Wales and was described by Australian media as a 'devoted family man' with two kids.

Ryan and Elsa Wilk got married last year and they both worked in the tech center. They were planning to move from British Columbia to their new home in a Salt Lake City suburb with the hopes of starting a family.

Wilk, 39 and from Salt Lake City Utah, was a cybersecurity expert and a vice president for the Canadian firm NuData Security, a division of MasterCard.

'I can tell you my brother was an amazing man, son, husband, brother and uncle. We are completely devastated,' his sister, Shannon Wilk, told Salt Lake City television station KSL.

'Ryan was a very kind man with a fun personality. I loved how much we laughed together,' Daniela Veliz Llaguno, Wilk's first wife, told The Associated Press.

Elsa Wilk, 37 and from British Columbia, was a fierce black belt taekwondo competitor and worked as a marketing director for different tech companies in Vancouver. She traveled around the world to compete in the sport.

'Everyone knew them as a wonderful couple, they were totally in love,' their friend Mark Pashley said.

Elsa's brother Louis Botha of San Diego was also on board and died in the crash.

Pilot Randy Jason Sullivan, 46, was a father of two and been a pilot with mountain Air since 2012, flying tour groups over the rugged wilderness of Alaska's Inside Passage, a popular cruise ship route.

In an interview to the Los Angeles Times in 2015 he said he knows the perils of flying.

'The danger it’s on people’s minds. Always,' he said.

His wife Julie said she kissed him before each flight as a gesture of good luck and love.

The two accidents come as number of many others involving small planes in the US across recent months.

However aviation experts say they’re not surprised at the alarming frequency of which these crashes seem to be occurring, as the level of regulation applied to planes operated by private pilots or small companies can often lack the stringency adopted by large commercial airlines.

At the beginning of May two people were injured after a small plane crashed off the Gulf Coast of Alabama.

A week earlier, two people were killed when another small aircraft crashed as it set off from La Center, Washington. Their deaths followed two others’ who died in Madera, California, in another small plane crash.

‘Commercial planes are holding themselves out to be operating at the highest levels of safety,’ said National Transportation Safety Board member John Goglia to the New York Times.

‘That’s not required of most others. And part of it has to do with the number of passengers.’

Taquan Air has not yet responded to a DailyMail.com request for comment. </s> The United States Coast Guard said Tuesday that the bodies of two people missing after the midair collision of two small planes on Monday in a remote part of Alaska had been recovered, bringing the number of people killed to six.

The collision, which happened at 12:12 p.m. on Monday and also injured 10 others, happened after one of the two planes descended by several hundred feet, officials said on Tuesday.

The two small planes, which were carrying cruise ship passengers, crashed Monday as they approached the city of Ketchikan, a National Transportation Safety Board member, Jennifer Homendy, said at a news conference.

“The preliminary data shows speed and altitude, but we don’t want to make any assumptions based on that,” Ms. Homendy said. “We still have to recover the planes and then we have to look at those, and it takes some significant work to understand how the two came together.”
Four people are killed when two sightseeing planes, with a total of 14 Royal Princess ship tourists, collide near Ketchikan, Alaska. Multiple people were rescued though two others are missing.