National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators are on the scene at Ketchikan, Alaska, trying to find the cause of two planes that collided midair Monday about 1 p.m. over Alaskan waters that left six people dead and injured 10 others who were on a tour of the scenic area.
The weather was said to be calm when the sightseeing planes arranged for tourists on Princess Cruises were suddenly part of the tragedy that struck.
A smaller plane carrying four people and a pilot reportedly crashed on a steep rocky shoreline, then partially submerged upside down in seawater, according to media reports and eyewitnesses. The other plane was larger, carrying 11 people, and one person was killed on that plane. It carried passengers and a pilot who had to be rescued in the frigid waters by the Coast Guard and Good Samaritans before being taken to area hospitals, it was reported.
All 14 passengers on the two planes came from the cruise ship Royal Princess, which was on a seven-day trip from Vancouver, B.C., to Anchorage, Alaska.
A floatplane is an aircraft with pontoons or floats that allow it to land on water.
Clifford Law Offices has represented a number of people involved in small plane crashes across the United States and Canada. If you or a loved one have been injured in such a tragedy, contact the firm at 312-899-9090.