Park Service will not attempt recovery of wreckage in Denali National Park

The wreckage of a de Havilland Beaver is seen near the summit of Thunder Mountain, about 14 miles southwest of the Denali summit. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)
The wreckage of a de Havilland Beaver is seen near the summit of Thunder Mountain, about 14 miles southwest of the Denali summit. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

National Park Service says recovering the five deceased aboard a flightseeing plane that crashed Aug. 4 in Denali National Park and Preserve and removal of the aircraft exceed an acceptable level of risk and will not be attempted.

The de Havilland Beaver, operated by K2 Aviation and flown by pilot Craig Layson, was carrying four Polish passengers when it crashed near the summit of Thunder Mountain, roughly 14 miles southwest of the summit of Denali.

At the request of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, Park Service will not release the names of the passengers.

The crash site includes multiple hazards, including avalanche danger, crevasses, unstable blocks of ice loosely attached to the mountain, and aircraft-related concerns such as protruding pieces of jagged metal.

The wreckage sits in a crevasse.

The aircraft is broken in half behind the wing and the tail section of the fuselage is pulling the aircraft down the steep slope.

The focus of recovery efforts has been on the safety of personnel, the stability of the aircraft, and the complexity of possible recovery operations, the National Park Service said in a news release.

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