4 Killed in Helicopter Crash in Remote Alaskan Lake
A helicopter carrying a pilot and three passengers who had been conducting field work for an Alaskan government agency crashed on Thursday night, killing all four people on board, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Saturday.
The wreckage of the helicopter, a Bell 206, was found in a large, shallow lake in an extremely remote area about 50 miles southwest of Utqiagvik, which is the northernmost community in the United States and home to about 5,100 residents.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the crash, the N.T.S.B. said.
The three state employees on board, whose names have not been released, worked for the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys and were conducting fieldwork near Utqiagvik, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources said on Facebook.
The department, which did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment on Saturday, said that it had initiated a search-and-rescue effort on Thursday night after those on board the helicopter did not check in as expected.
Source: The New York Times
