National Transportation Safety Board investigators are now at the scene of a helicopter crash in Lituya Bay.
One person was rescued after the Friday incident, but three others are still missing. The Coast Guard suspended the search for the three people on Sunday.
Clint Johnson, head of the NTSB’s Alaska office, said the wreckage will be transported to a Juneau hangar for a detailed examination.
The wreckage was visible at low tide with the main fuselage in a fragmented condition. The tail boom and some of the main rotors were broken off.
Johnson said the Airbus H125 helicopter does not have a flight data recorder like a commercial airliner. But some of the helicopter’s state-of-the-art instruments have an internal memory that may provide clues about its operation just before it crashed.
Johnson said two NTSB investigators, as well as representatives from Airbus and the engine manufacturer, have arrived to investigate the crash.
The Airbus H125 is the latest model previously known as the AStar or AS350, a single-engine helicopter widely used by Alaska flightseeing companies
Rescued after the crash Friday was 14-year-old Aiden Pepperd, a passenger in the helicopter. The Anchorage Daily News reports he was transported to an Anchorage hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Still missing is his 11-year-old brother Andrew and his father, 42-year-old Josh Pepperd.
Also still missing is 53-year-old David King.
The elder Pepperd is head of Davis Constructors and Engineers in Anchorage. King is with a Palmer helicopter company. It’s still unknown who was flying the helicopter when it crashed.
