A private plane carrying eight people, among them the former head of NASA Sean O'Keefe and possibly ex-Senator Ted Stevens, crashed in southwest Alaska on Monday night, sources and officials said on Tuesday.
O'Keefe, the CEO of aerospace firm EADS North America and former U.S. navy secretary, was flying on the plane, according to an EADS spokesman.
Alaska's Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in Senate history, lost his re-election bid in 2008 after he was convicted on corruption charges, but the case was later thrown out because of prosecutorial misconduct.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press that Alaska authorities have been told the former longtime Republican senator is among several passengers on the plane. The official, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, says Stevens' condition is unknown.
Ex-head of NASA on plane that crashes in Alaska - U.S. news - Life - msnbc.com