7 Killed, Including State Lawmaker, As Two Planes Collide In Alaska

A mid-air plane crash in Anchorage on Friday killed seven people, including a state legislator who was piloting one of the planes, Alaska officials said.

There were no survivors of the crash near the airport in Soldotna, a city on the Kenai peninsula, Alaska state soldiers said in a written statement.

State Representative Gary Knopp, who represented the area, was alone in one of the planes. The other plane was carrying four tourists from South Carolina, a Kansas guide and a Soldotna pilot, the soldiers said.

The seven victims were pronounced dead at the site, except for one person who died while being transported to a hospital, according to the soldiers.

The rubble fell on a highway, which was briefly closed for safety reasons.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified one of the planes as a Havilland DHC-2 Beaver. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident.