ANCHORAGE (AP) - Pilots reported low clouds the morning a sightseeing plane crashed near Ketchikan, killing all six people on board, according to a federal report released Aug. 25.
The National Transportation Safety Board released the preliminary report into the Aug. 5 crash of a plane that was carrying five tourists off a cruise ship and the pilot. The report did not include details such as a probable cause, which are typically released much later.
The floatplane hit heavily wooded, mountainous terrain as the plane was returning to the Ketchikan harbor from a trip to Misty Fjords National Monument, the report said.
The accident site was 18 miles northeast of Ketchikan.
The plane initially hit a tree about 435 feet from the site where the main wreckage was found. The de Havilland Beaver was owned by Southeast Aviation.
The report said other pilots who were conducting passenger flights that morning said there were low clouds in the valley where the accident occurred.
Pilots who assisted in the search for the plane said the weather was overcast, and the mountain tops were obscured.
The clouds were as low as 600 feet to 800 feet in some places, including the valley where the accident occurred, the report said.
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