ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The Latest on a midair plane crash in Alaska (all times local):
3 p.m.
At least one person has died in a plane crash after a midair collision north of Anchorage, Alaska.
The landing gear on the other plane was damaged but its pilot was able to fly to an airport and make a safe emergency landing.
The crash occurred in the Matanuska-Susitna (mat-tan-OO-ska soo-SIT-nah) Borough shortly after noon Wednesday.
Clint Johnson of the National Transportation Safety Board says the pilot who was able to land was on his way back to Anchorage when he saw the other airplane “nose to nose” with him in the air.
The pilot told Johnson he pulled up but his landing gear struck the other plane.
It crashed into the Susitna (soo-SIT-nah) River. Johnson says the number of people aboard hasn’t been confirmed and relatives of the person killed haven’t been notified.
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1:40 p.m.
Authorities say two airplanes collided in the skies over Alaska north of Anchorage.
Alaska State Troopers shortly after noon Wednesday were notified of the crash in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
Spokeswoman Megan Peters says wreckage of one airplane was spotted a short time later near the mouth of the Susitna River.
The number of people on board was not known. Search and rescue teams were launched after the crash.
Landing gear on the second airplane was damaged but it made an emergency landing on a dirt airstrip at the Lake Hood Seaplane Base, part of Anchorage’s largest airport, just before 1 p.m.
Anchorage Fire Department Assistant Chief Erich Scheunemann said he was not sure how many were on board the second airplane but there were no injuries.
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