NASA Chief, Former Senator in Fatal Alaska Plane Crash

Dillingham, AKA small plane crash in Alaska has killed at least five people, and unofficial reports suggest that former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens maybe among the dead.

The private plane, en route from GCI Lodge on Lake Nerka to the town of Dillingham, crashed Monday night in rugged terrain near Dillingham. Inclement weather was reported in the area, which is near the Bering Sea, southwest of Anchorage.

The National Transportation Safety Board told CNN.com that the plane crashed 10 miles northwest of Aleknagik about 8 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time. "Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Paul Takemoto said that the plane was a DeHavilland DHC-3. He said its tail number was N455A and it was registered to GCI Communications Corp., based in Anchorage." (CNN.com)

Reports indicate that eight or nine people were on board the plane, and that there are survivors. A rescue operation is underway. A spokesperson for the Pentagon, Col. Dave Lapan, reports that the Alaska Air National Guard have been asked to send three rescue squadrons to the scene.