Five Dead, Another Missing After Alaska Float Planes Collide Mid-air Monday

Five people are dead, one more is missing and 10 are hospitalized following a collision between two float planes carrying tourists in Alaska on Monday afternoon. The U.S. Coast Guard is helping search the premise after the collision close to George Inlet, which is near the city of Ketchikan.

There were a total of 16 people onboard between the two planes combined, according to KTUU out of Anchorage. Five people were aboard a deHavilland DHC-2 Beaver while the others were riding a de Havilland Otter.

The collision happened in mid-air, according to Allen Kenitzer of the Federal Aviation Administration. The Ketchikan Fire Department said 10 people were found and the search ensued for the remaining folks around 3:30 p.m. local time Monday.

The Coast Guard is working to determine the cause of the crash, and said it will continue its investigation until it's certain to what happened.

"A case like this, we will search as long as we can," Coast Guard Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios said, adding the Coast Guard and other assisting crews will first work to recover all missing passengers.

Those recovered and injured are hospitalized at PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, where one was listed in critical condition, three in serious condition and six in fair condition, per the early report from KTUU.

The Anchorage Daily News reported that it's currently flightseeing season in the country's largest state.

There was a float plane crash in 2015 that crashed, killing all nine people after the pilot became "disoriented in cloudy weather," according to this USA Today report.

Before that, there had only been four flights resulting in fatalities for sightseeing tour planes, according to USA Today.