All eight people on board a small plane that crashed near Anaktuvuk Pass Saturday afternoon survived but were seriously injured, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
NTSB investigator Shaun Williams said Sunday the pilot and all seven passengers on board the Cessna 208 Caravan -- on a scheduled Wright Air Service flight from Fairbanks to Anaktuvuk Pass -- were hospitalized in Anchorage after the plane crashed near its destination Saturday afternoon. Officials with the air service said Saturday the plane went down about 6 miles southwest of the Brooks Range village.
"It departed Fairbanks about 10:30 in the morning and the crash happened about 1 p.m.," Williams said.
Alaska State Troopers spokesman Tim Despain said troopers didn't immediately have further details on the crash Sunday morning.
Williams said a weather report from Anaktuvuk Pass at the time of the crash indicated calm winds and 6 miles of visibility, with a cloud ceiling at about 4,200 feet. The NTSB hadn't received any word so far from the plane's occupants about what happened.
"We've been busy trying to put together all the pieces and get the details," Williams said Sunday. "Everyone has been taken to area hospitals in Anchorage, and we have not spoken with anyone yet."
Investigators plan to retrieve the Cessna, Williams said, and bring it to a secure storage facility in the Mat-Su region for further examination.