A search and rescue team recovered the body Monday of one of three people missing from a Friday helicopter crash near Lituya Bay, according to a Tuesday release from the Alaska State Troopers.
David William King, 53, of Sutton was found dead a little after 11 a.m. on a beach three-quarters of a mile south of the crash site. A Juneau-based state trooper flew to the scene and investigated. The body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy, though no foul play is suspected.
King was flying with three others, two of whom are still missing. Brothers Aiden Peppard, 14, and Andrew Peppard, 11, both of Anchorage, are reported to have been on the flight with Joshua Peppard, 42.
Aiden was the lone survivor found by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday. He is currently at an Anchorage hospital being treated for injuries sustained in the crash.
USCG, AST and the National Park Service coordinated a search and rescue effort and were able to locate the crashed helicopter near the shore in Lituya Bay, about 115 miles west of Juneau. Debris from the helicopter is scattered along the shoreline and in the surf south of Lituya Bay.
After two days of searching, the USCG suspended search and rescue efforts on Sunday.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and is sending investigators to the scene of the crash.
• Contact reporter Kevin Gullufsen at 523-2228 and kgullufsen@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @KevinGullufsen.
