KEY POINTS

  • A Yute Air commuter plane crashed in western Alaska late thurday
  • The crash killed four passengers and the plane's pilot
  • A spokesperson from the Federal Aviation Administration said that the plane "crashed under unkown circumstances"

Four passengers, including the commuter plane's pilot were killed after their aircraft crashed in western Alaska late Thursday.

The Yute Air commuter plane, which was bound for Kipnuk from Bethel, crashed 12 miles southwest of Tuntutuliak after it was reported missing around 1:45 p.m. Thursday, said KTUU, citing a report from the Alaska State Troopers.

A dispatched Blackhawk helicopter discovered the crashed plane and confirmed the five fatalities, said NBC News.

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Rescuers work to extract passengers from the crash of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul on February 5, 2020. - The plane carrying 171 passengers from the Aegean port city of Izmir split into three after landing in rough weather. Officials said no-one had lost their lives in the accident, but dozens of people were injured. YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Tim DeSpain told KTUU that conditions around the crash site will be difficult to execute their investigation and recovery efforts.

“It was relatively quick that the site was located, but the challenges can definitely come in with the difficulty of getting to the site and actually having boots on the ground,” said DeSpain, spokesperson of the Alaska State Troopers.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson Allen Kenitzer meanwhile told Reuters that the commuter plane – a Piper PA32 - “crashed under unknown circumstances.”

The identities of the victims were not released, but State Troopers said they are set to notify their next of kin.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, Kenitzer added.

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