The victims of Friday’s fatal plane crash in Washington state have been identified as retired Maj. Gen. William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic “Earthrise” photos, and his son Greg Anders confirmed to the Associated Press.
The U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest confirmed that rescuers responded to reports of a plane crash between Orcas Island and Jones Island in Washington state just before noon.
“The family is devastated,” Greg Anders told The Associated Press. “He was a great pilot and he will be greatly missed.”
Small plane crashes in central Virginia, killing 2
Close-up of American astronaut William Anders of NASA’s Apollo 8 mission during a panel interview at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois, on April 5, 2018. (JB Spector/Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago/Getty Images)
In a 1968 Christmas Eve telecast, the Apollo 8 crew read verses from the first chapter of Genesis and wished the audience: “Good night, good luck, Merry Christmas, and God bless you all— —All of us on this wonderful Earth.
According to NASA, Anders took the “Earthrise” photo from lunar orbit on December 24, 1968.
William and the Apollo 8 astronauts were one of the first three people to land on the moon. According to the Anders Foundation website, Bill also has a crater named after him on the moon, called “Anders Crater.”
Missing Washington pilot found dead in plane crash in forest area
FILE – This Dec. 24, 1968, NASA file photo shows the Earth behind the lunar surface during the Apollo 8 mission. Retired Major General William Anders, a former Apollo 8 astronaut, took the iconic “Earthrise” photo from space in 1968, showing the Earth like a blue marble in shadow. died on Friday, June 7, 2024, when the plane he was piloting crashed into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He is 90 years old. (William Anders/NASA via AP, File)
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed to Fox News Digital that the crashed plane was an older Air Force T-34 Mentor and said the only person on board was the pilot.
Small plane with two people on board crashes in Nashville suburb: police
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital that they are still conducting search and rescue operations and are assisting the Coast Guard.
Bellingham Air Station and Port Angeles Air Station were also on scene assisting with search and rescue operations.
UNC health pilot, doctor hospitalized after small plane crash
Portraits of NASA’s Apollo 8 astronauts, including command module pilot James Lovell (left), lunar module pilot William Anders and commander Frank Bol, in December 1968, Florida Man. (Photo by NASA/Provisional Archives/Getty Images)
Click here to get the Fox News app
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the accident.
This is a development story.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
