Small plane carrying nine people crashes into Alaskan cliffs, kills all on board

NINE people aboard a sightseeing plane have been killed after it crashed in southeast Alaska, authorities have confirmed.

It is believed the small plane was carrying a pilot and nine passengers from a cruise ship when it smashed into the granite rock face of an Alaska cliff yesterday.

The plane was on a shore excursion, sold through Holland America Line, when it went missing yesterday. It has since been found hanging against the granite rock, 240 metres above Ella Lake.

Horror end ... The treacherous Ketchikan cliffs, where all nine passengers of the plane, as well as the captain, are thought to have met their end. Picture: Supplied Source: News Limited

Clint Johnson, head of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska office, confirmed stormy weather was preventing the immediate recovery of the bodies.

Rain and wind have forced recovery crew to stop, and attempts to retrieve the bodies will resume again today.

“The initial rescue crew that went in had a very tough time because of the terrain,” Johnson said. “It’s a very steep, mountainous area, and weather conditions caused them to stand down.”

Tragedy ... The passengers aboard the doomed the flight where guests on a Holland America Line cruise ship, which was sailing a seven-day Inside Passage cruise round-trip from Seattle. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

Holland America said the passengers from its MS Westerdam were sightseeing on a float plane owned by Ketchikan-based Promech Air.

The Westerdam departed Seattle last Saturday, June 20, for a seven-day cruise through south-easte Alaska.