He survived one plane crash already, in 1978, but on Monday night former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was not so fortunate. He was one of nine people aboard a plane that went down in southern Alaska, and on Tuesday his death was confirmed by a former staffer. –KA

The New York Times:

The body of Mr. Stevens was found just after daylight, according to the aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of respect to the family.

Three survivors were airlifted to Anchorage for further medical attention.

A rescue crew from the Alaska Air National Guard and the United States Coast Guard arrived on the scene more than 12 hours after the crash, hampered by rain, high winds and heavy fog in an area of mountains and lakes north of Bristol Bay.

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.

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