Woodstock mother, daughter among 6 killed in Alaska sightseeing plane crash

KETCHIKAN, AK — A mother and daughter from Woodstock were among six people who died in Thursday’s sightseeing plane crash in southeast Alaska.

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According to a report by The Associated Press, Alaska State Troopers released the victim identifications Saturday night.

The two local victims were identified as 55-year-old Andrea McArthur and her 20-year-old daughter Rachel McArthur. Both lived in the Woodstock area in Cherokee County.

Channel 2′s Elizabeth Rawlins spoke to family friends, who said the women were on a mother-daughter trip.

Rawlins learned that Rachel, who went by Rae, attended Living Science Academy and graduated in 2019.

“Rae was loved by everybody,” Penney Davis said. “She would walk into a room and it brightened up because she came in smiling.”

Rae recently completed an internship at the Roswell Police Department.

“While working around RPD, Rae was particularly set apart by her driven desire for MORE. Many interns are content to come in, work their allotted hours, and move on to the next item in their educational ladder. Not so with Rae. She was regularly asking for more hours, more breadth of experience, and the opportunity to pursue even greater growth,” the police department said in a statement.

Five tourists and the pilot were killed when the plane crashed in the Misty Fjords National Monument area late Thursday morning. They were a part of a cruise ship excursion to see the wilderness area that features some of the most breathtaking peaks and valleys near the ships stop in Ketchikan.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the seaplane’s emergency beacon was activated around 11:20 a.m. local time on Thursday and rescue crews began searching for the plane shortly afterward.

The Coast Guard said a helicopter company was able to identify wreckage in a ridgeline near the Monument about three hours after the emergency beacon was activated. The agency sent rescue swimmers to the site in an effort to search for survivors but did not find any.

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Recovery efforts were delayed due to weather and visibility problems which kept state troopers and rescue workers from getting to the site until Saturday afternoon.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash along with the FAA. No information has been released on the cause of the crash at this time.

The aviation company posted a statement on their website, saying:

“We are thinking of and grieving with the families of the five passengers and our dear friend and pilot lost in Thursday’s tragic flight incident. We are cooperating with the first responders and agencies involved, including the U.S. Coast Guard, National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration and Alaska State Troopers. All of us share in the anguish of this tragic incident, and our prayers go out to all affected.”

There will be a celebration of life service for Andrea and Rae McArthur at 11 a.m. on Thursday, August 12 at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta.

The Associated Press contributed information to this story.

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