Alaska plane crash near Seldovia kills four people

A Piper PA-24 small aircraft crashed into the shallow waters of Seldovia Slough near Seldovia, Alaska, on Wednesday, killing all four people on board. The flight was traveling from Anchorage to Seldovia when the accident occurred at approximately 1:18 p.m.

Rescue efforts were complicated by tidal conditions, forcing responders to wait for the tide to recede before they could access the submerged wreckage. Once the water level dropped around 6:30 p.m., authorities recovered the bodies of the four adult victims.

The deceased have been identified as pilot Eric Middlebrook, 68, of Anchorage, and passengers Ronald Schmidt, 65, Lance Schmidt, 20, and Daniel Simons, 82, all of whom were from California. Middlebrook was a former mayor of Bethel, Alaska.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash. This incident follows another fatal plane crash in western Alaska last week, prompting renewed discussions regarding aviation safety and infrastructure in the region.