Sean O'Keefe Presumed Dead
Former NASA chief likely aboard downed plane
by G B Leatherwood
Sean O'Keefe
, former head of NASA, may have been a passenger on a DeHavilland DHC-30 aircraft that crashed in a mountainous area in the Alaska wilderness Monday night as reported by CNN.
Although rescuers from three rescue squadrons of the Alaska Air National Guard have been asked to respond to the crash site by the Air Force 11th Rescue Coordination Center, staffed by the Alaska Air National Guard, it was not known immediately whether either Mr. O'Keefe or fellow passenger Ted Stevens, former Alaska U.S. Senator, survived. The crash left at least five of the known eight or nine passengers dead. (The exact number of passengers is currently unconfirmed.)
Both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft are assisting with the search and rescue operations in the rugged mountain area of Bellingham near the Bering Sea southwest of Anchorage, AK. Inclement weather, not unusual in this area, was considered to be a factor. The Federal Aviation Admistration agency's Alaska office reported that two survivors had serious injuries and two had minor injuries.
Former Alaska Governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin responded to the news with a Twitter message expressing sadness for the victims and their families, saying “Alaska's heart surrounds loved ones.”
Mr. O'Keefe served as the tenth NASA Administrator from December 2001 through his resignation in February 2005, and served as deputy director of the U.S Office of Management and Budget for 11 months before heading NASA. During his time at NASA, he eliminated a US$5 billion cost overrun and reorganized NASA so the administration could put its efforts towards sending humans to the Moon and Mars.
, former head of NASA, may have been a passenger on a DeHavilland DHC-30 aircraft that crashed in a mountainous area in the Alaska wilderness Monday night as reported by CNN. Although rescuers from three rescue squadrons of the Alaska Air National Guard have been asked to respond to the crash site by the Air Force 11th Rescue Coordination Center, staffed by the Alaska Air National Guard, it was not known immediately whether either Mr. O'Keefe
or fellow passenger Ted Stevens, former Alaska U.S. Senator, survived. The crash left at least five of the known eight or nine passengers dead. (The exact number of passengers is currently unconfirmed.) Both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft are assisting with the search and rescue operations in the rugged mountain area of Bellingham near the Bering Sea southwest of Anchorage, AK. Inclement weather, not unusual in this area, was considered to be a factor. The Federal Aviation Admistration agency's Alaska office reported that two survivors had serious injuries and two had minor injuries.
Former Alaska Governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin responded to the news with a Twitter message expressing sadness for the victims and their families, saying “Alaska's heart surrounds loved ones.”
Mr. O'Keefe
served as the tenth NASA Administrator from December 2001 through his resignation in February 2005, and served as deputy director of the U.S Office of Management and Budget for 11 months before heading NASA. During his time at NASA, he eliminated a US$5 billion cost overrun and reorganized NASA so the administration could put its efforts towards sending humans to the Moon and Mars. 