Former US senator Ted Stevens died in a small plane crash that killed at least five people in his home state of Alaska, a family spokesman said today.
Former Nasa chief Sean O'Keefe and his son, survived the crash last night, aircraft maker EADs said. Mr O'Keefe is now the North American chief of the European aerospace giant and Airbus maker.
Alaska Governor Sean Parnell said five people, including Mr Stevens, died in the incident and that four survived.
Mr Stevens (86), the longest serving Republican senator ever, chaired the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and was a strong supporter of robust US defence budgets. A family spokesman confirmed his death in the crash.
The legislator 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, including the withholding of exculpatory evidence from defence lawyers.
Mr Stevens and Mr O'Keefe were on a fishing trip in a remote part of Alaska, according to the congressional source, adding that the plane either crashed by a lake or into the water, about 16km northwest of Aleknagik, Alaska, at 8pm local time on Monday, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board.
Federal safety officials said early information indicated that nine people were aboard and at least five were killed in the crash late on Monday, while another source close to the matter said eight people were aboard and that five were dead.
Bad weather initially hampered rescue efforts and two Alaska National Guard rescuers reached the scene early today and were treating at least two survivors. They did not identify who had been treated or any of those that died.
"Poor weather remains a factor, as there is less than a quarter-mile visibility at the crash site and less than a 100-foot ceiling in the area," the Alaska National Guard said in a statement.
The plane wreckage was spotted last night and a private team hiked to the site to provide medical assistance during the night, the statement said.
Mr O'Keefe (54), who was also a former US Navy secretary, worked for Mr Stevens for many years in Congress on annual spending matters including defence work.
Reuters