UPDATE: 2 victims identified in fatal plane crash near Cooper Landing
A post by the official Medevac Facebook page has identified two of the crash victims. They have been identified as R.N. Robert Cartner and Mobile Intensive Care Paramedic Maddox Burts.
Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Mountain Rescue Group finished recovery efforts around 3 p.m. Sunday.
Remains of those on board are now being transported to the State Medical Examiner in Anchorage for identification.
The investigation is now officially in the hands of the National Transportation Safety Board.
"Now we go into the recovery portion, whereas we're gonna try and get a helicopter down there get a crew down there as soon as possible, to be able to get that wreckage out and back to Anchorage or back to Wasilla," said NTSB Alaska Region Chief Clint Johnson.
Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Mountain Rescue Group have successfully reached the crash site, according to Ken Marsh of Alaska State Troopers. He says they hope to have further updates later today.
The overdue Security Aviation flight believed to have crashed west of Cooper Landing Friday night was chartered by Medevac Alaska according to Medevac Alaska Operations Manager Cory Hughes and a spokesperson for Security Aviation.
Hughes confirmed the flight left Anchorage around 6:30 p.m. with the Seward Airport as its destination, and was later reported overdue.
The three people on board the plane were two Medevac Alaska flight crew members and a Security Aviation pilot according to Hughes.
Alaska State Troopers said in a dispatch Saturday night that no survivors are expected, and that Alaska Mountain Rescue Group is organizing a group to try and reach the crash site, located about 15 miles west of Quartz Creek Airport, on Sunday.
Dwindling daylight hours and snow at higher elevations could complicate efforts to reach the site.
An Alaska Rescue Coordination Center crew flew over the crash site Friday night, but weather conditions and terrain prevented rescuers from reaching the location on foot.
