A sightseeing plane, with five passengers from a Holland America Line cruise from Seattle, crashed Thursday in southeast Alaska, killing all six people on board.
This is considered a maritime/admiralty matter covered by the Jones Act. Maritime employees are covered by the Jones Act. General maritime law and passengers, although not seamen, are entitled to some maritime protections.
Reportedly the plane’s emergency alert beacon was activated around 11:20 a.m. in Misty Fjords National Monument, near Ketchikan. A helicopter reported seeing wreckage on a ridgeline in the search area, and Coast Guard crew members found the wreckage around 2:40 p.m.
The aircraft involved is a float plane owned by Southeast Aviation LLC, a company that provides flightseeing tours as well as air charter services to other Southeast Alaska communities, according to its website. Holland America Line says the five passengers on the flight were from the company’s cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam, which departed from Seattle on July 31 and stopped in Ketchikan on Thursday.