Three bodies have been found in the wreckage of a small plane that crashed on Monday that was on its way to an Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The Associated Press reported that the bodies were of two adults and a 10-year-old girl named Ted Smith, 59, who was the pilot, Carolyn Sorvoja, 48, and Rosemarie Sorvoja, 10.
Their bodies were fond near Rainy Pass and they were all from Eagle River in Anchorage, Alaska. The three left Anchorage on Monday for Takotna which is a village northwest of Anchorage and the area is on the route of the Iditarod which is 1,000 miles.
"The Sorvoja family referred questions to family spokesman David Morris, who said the Sorvojas were heading to Takotna to volunteer for the race. The Cessna 182 left Anchorage from Merrill Field at about 10 a.m. and did not file a flight plan,' reported the AP.
The Sorvojas were reportedly supposed to be dropped off and then the plane was to return to take more passengers. The plane did not arrive as planned and around 4 p.m. was reported late when it never returned to Anchorage. The search was launched about 6 p.m. by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center and they dispatched a HC-130 airplane as well as a helicopter. The plane searched for eight hourse along the flight routine.
"Smith was an experienced, well equipped pilot, said Kalei Brooks, spokeswoman for the Alaska National Guard. Smith was carrying a personal locator beacon in his vest and an emergency locator transmitter on his airplane. However, neither sent out a signal that was detected Monday by the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system," reported the AP.
The search started up again Tuesday and returned with 10 military state troopers. They spotted the plane from the air at 10:22 a.m. close to Rainy Pass.
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