According to U. S. authorities there has been a plane crash in Alaska. Amongst the plane’s passengers there were former U. S. Senator Ted Stevens and former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe.

According to the U. S. National Transportation Safety Board, the plane carried nine passengers of which five reportedly are believed to have died due to the accident. Initially detailed news of the deaths were unknown, however it has been confirmed that the former U. S. Senator, the longest serving, has died. Meanwhile, O’Keefe was discovered injured along with his teenage son.

The small aircraft, a DeHavilland DHC-3T is reported to have crashed near the south-western town of Dillingham in the late hours of Monday.

With initial difficulties in reaching the crash site due to the severe weather conditions, a private medical team was dropped off in time at the accident scene.

Stevens had been a passenger in a deadly plane crash at Anchorage airport in 1978which had tragically killed his first wife, Ann.

Stevens had been the longest-serving Republican senator in history spending 40 years in the U. S. Senate, before being defeated in 2008 due to reported corruption through acceptance of corporate gifts. This allegation was however later found invalid due to the misconduct by federal prosecutors.