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Searchers found the crash site and survivor late Saturday night
after the chopper was reported overdue, the troopers said in a
written statement. The injured person was reported to be in
serious but stable condition.
The helicopter was ferrying skiers who had been on a backcountry
tour, the troopers said. Killed were Petr Kellner, 56, and
Benjamin Larochaix, 50, both of the Czech Republic; Gregory
Harms, 52, of Colorado; Sean McManamy, 38, and pilot Zachary
Russell, 33, the troopers said. The survivor, who was not
identified late Sunday, was hospitalized, the trooper said.
The crash site was near Knik Glacier northeast of Anchorage. The
helicopter was an Airbus AS350B3 owned by Soloy Helicopters of
Wasilla, Alaska, the troopers said.
The victims’ bodies were recovered Sunday by the Alaska Army
National Guard and volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue
Group, the trooper said. The remains have been turned over to
the state medical examiner, the troopers said. A temporary
flight restriction imposed by the Federal Aviation
Administration was lifted late Sunday.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the
crash, the troopers said.
Knik Glacier, in the northern Chugach Mountains, is a
destination for sightseeing flights and, in summer, hiking and
boating tours. The crash site is near the Knik River outflow of
the 28-mile glacier, according to a map provided by the
troopers.
Knik Glacier and other glaciers in the area have been the sites
of numerous military and civilian air crashes over several
decades.
Another backcountry skier was killed this weekend in a separate
accident in the same general area. Erin Lee, 40, of Fairbanks
died Saturday after being buried in an avalanche near Matanuska
Glacier, also northeast of Anchorage.
(Reporting by Yereth Rosen in Anchorage; Editing by Dan Whitcomb
and Gerry Doyle)
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