Three bodies were found on Tuesday in the wreckage of a small plane crash near a mountain checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race that killed all of those on board, reports the News-Sentinel.
The plane left on Monday en route to Takotna, Alaska, a village that serves as a checkpoint for the Iditarod race. A search began late Monday when the plane was reported missing. The bodies recovered belonged to those of the pilot, retired Anchorage police officer Ted Smith, 59, Carolyn Sorvoja, 48, and Rosemarie Sorvoja, 10. The wreckage was found by the Air National Guard helicopter crew on Tuesday at 10:22 a.m.
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is a 1,049 mile dog sled race that goes from Anchorage, Alaska to to Nome that takes approximately 10 to 17 days to complete. The victims of the crash were not part of the “Iditarod Air Force,” the group of volunteer pilots that carry supplies to each of the race’s checkpoints and takes dropped dogs back to Anchorage.
“All our pilots and all our folks are accounted for,” Iditarod spokeswoman Erin McLarnon said.
The Alaska National Guard officials said an investigation into the crash has been launched.