Three Bodies Found On Iditarod Route: 2 Adults And 1 Child Dead After Plane Crash In Alaska, Sorvoja

Three bodies were found in the wreckage of a small airplane. Two adult bodies and a 10-year-old girl were found in the wreckage Monday near the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race route.

Pilot Ted Smith, 59, Carolyn Sorvoja, 48, and Rosemarie Sorvoja, 10, all died in the crash. The Sorvoja family was from Eagle River, a community on Anchorage, Alaska and were bound to Takotna.

The Sorvoja family spokesman David Morris, said they were heading to Takotna to volunteer for the race. The family's plane, the Cessna 182 left around 10 a.m. without a flight plan from Merrill Field. According to The Associated Press, Megan Peters, Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman said the airplane was dropping off the Sorvojas and returned to pick up more passengers.

The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, conducted a search with a HC-130 airplane and a helicopter. Authorities searched for about eight hours says, Senior Master Sgt. Robert Carte. The searched resumed Tuesday, with about 10 military, state trooper and private aircraft flying grids in an extended search.

A spokeswoman for the Alaska National Guard, Kalei Brooks says Smith was an experienced, pilot. The pilot carried a personal locator on his vest as well as an emergency locator transmitter on his airplane but no signals were sent to the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system.

The bodies were recovered and flown back to Anchorage for further autopsies.