AIR DISASTER
Two planes crash mid-air in Anchorage leaving seven dead including Alaska legislator and four South Carolina tourists
TWO planes collided midair on Friday killing seven people including an Alaska lawmaker.
The crash occurred near an airport in Soldotna, leaving no survivors Alaska State Troopers said in a statement.
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Gary Knopp, an Alaskan State Rep. piloted one of the planes.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
Initially, the FAA said the two planes involved in the crash were a single-engine de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and a twin-engine Piper Aztec however later said it did not believe the second plane was a Piper Aztec and has not confirmed the make and model of the plane involved.
The FAA said the two planes collided midair two miles northeast of the airport at 8:30 on Friday morning.
First elected to the House in 2016, Knopp, 67, served as a Republican and left the House GOP to serve in a coalition of Democrats, independants and GOP lawmakers.
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He faced two challengers in the August primary.
The other victims of the plane crash included four tourists from South Carolina, a guide from Kansas and a pilot from Soldotna.
They were latest identified as pilot Gregory Bell, 67, guide David Rogers, 40, and the South Carolina visitors: Caleb Hulsey, 26; Heather Hulsey, 25; Mackay Hulsey, 24; and Kirstin Wright, 23.
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Wright's brother William confirmed his sister's death via Facebook.
"I just lost the rest of my world," he wrote. "My loving sister is gone and I don't know how to feel."
Governor Mike Dunleavy offered his condolences to the families who lost loved ones through a statement on Friday.
"The first lady and I were heartbroken to learn of the accident above Soldotna today, and our deepest sympathies go out o the families mourning these untimely deaths," he said.
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