Rescue crews found three dead bodies at the crash site of a small airplane Tuesday morning in Alaska, reports say the victims were en route to volunteer at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
An aerial search party of 10 military, state trooper, and private planes found the wreckage at 10:22 a.m. near the Rainy Pass, close to the route of the dog race. Authorities have identified the victims as Ted Smith, 59, Carolyn Sorvoja, 48, and her daughter Rosemarie Sorvoja, 10, the Associated Press reports.
The trio boarded a Cessna 182 and departed from Merrill Field in Anchorage around 10 a.m. Monday for Takotna, about 235 miles northwest of Anchorage. Authorities say the pilot, Ted Smith, did not file a flight plan but was suppose to dropped off the Sorvojas and return to Anchorage to get more passengers.
But around 4 p.m. the plane was reported overdue at Takotna. Two hours later, authorities sent a HC-130 and a helicopter on an eight hour search that came up empty, reports say.
The crash site was found the following morning. Rescue crews landed and confirmed the death of the victims. The bodies were then airlifted to Anchorage for scheduled autopsies.
Smith was a 30-year veteran of the Anchorage Police Department, he retired in July 2011. Sorvoja was an Army officer with a master's degree in environmental quality science, The Anchorage Daily News reports.
The plane was a single engine Cessna manufactured in 1958.