A photo of a Cessna 206 from Sunrise Aviation’s website.
The three male passengers were all from Wrangell. Alaska State Troopers have recovered the bodies of 60-year-old David Galla, 61-year-old Greg Scheff and 57-year-old Thomas Siekawitch.
Officials say Galla had been piloting the Cessna 206 on Friday when it crashed about 20 miles southeast of the village of Angoon, on Admiralty Island.
The Coast Guard received an emergency alert Friday morning, indicating the aircraft was in distress.
A Coast Guard helicopter located the downed plane but was unable to land due to turbulent winds. Members of Sitka Mountain Rescue were called in to hike to the scene. Captain Lance Ewers said the team was dropped off 600 yards below the wreckage, which is located in snowy, alpine terrain.
“To everyone’s disbelief they found one of the four passengers was alive,” Ewers said. “And then they immediately started mounting an effort to get her out of the plane where they could insert her into the helicopter.
State business licensing documents for Sunrise Aviation identify two owners: Tyler Robinson and David Galla. Both are listed with Wrangell mailing addresses. FAA records show that both men are licensed commercial pilots.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator Shaun Williams says the cause of the crash remains under investigation. He says the agency has not yet spoken with the survivor due to her condition.
