SAN JOSE, Calif. - Authorities on Saturday identified three victims of a deadly plane crash in Alaska as San Jose residents.
The backstory:
Alaska State Troopers on Wednesday afternoon were notified that a small plane had crashed in the Seldovia Slough, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
"A preliminary investigation determined that a Piper PA-24 bound for Seldovia from Merrill Field Airport in Anchorage had crashed into the water and was completely submerged," Alaska authorities said. "At approximately 6:30 pm after the tide level dropped Troopers were able to extract four deceased adults from inside of the small plane."
On Saturday, authorities identified three of the victims as 65-year-old Ronald Schmidt, 20-year-old Lance Schmidt and 82-year-old Daniel Simon, all of San Jose.
The fourth victim, the pilot, was identified as 68-year-old Eric Middlebrook of Anchorage, Alaska.
What's next:
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Source: Information for this article came from the Alaska Department of Public Safety