Former Senator Ted Stevens Killed in Plane Crash

Former United States Senator Ted Stevens was one of five killed in a plane that crashed in southern Alaska on Monday night.

Five of the eight people on board were killed and one sustained serious injuries in the crash. Initial reports were unclear of Mr. Stevens status, but recent reports have confirmed the 86-year-old's death. Bad weather affected early rescue efforts.

The European aerospace firm EADS said that the chief executive of its North American operations, Sean O’Keefe, 54, a former NASA administrator, was also on board. There are conflicting reports as to whether or not the executive survived the crash.

The crash occurred about 320 miles southwest of Anchorage at 8 p.m. Alaska Daylight time, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported in a statement.

Mr. Stevens, 86, was flying to Agulowak Lodge near Lake Aleknagik. The crash was about 10 miles northwest of Lake Aleknagik, and the aircraft was a DeHavilland DHC-3T.

Ted Stevens was the former head of NASA and during his time as senator he played key roles in legislation that shaped Alaska's economic and social development, including the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Mr. Stevens was the longest-serving Republican senator until he lost his bid for a seventh term in 2008 after the Senator was accused of taking bribes from the Alaskan oil pipeline service and construction company, VECO Corp. He was convicted on corruption charges, that were later thrown out after misconduct by the prosecution.

Sean O'Keefe had a long career in the government and higher education, most recently serving as NASA administrator from December 2001 until his resignation in February 2005.