Victims identified, bodies recovered after Aniak-area plane crash

The two people killed last week when a small plane crashed near Aniak were identified Monday by Alaska State Troopers, after their remains were recovered over the weekend.

The deceased were identified in a trooper dispatch as pilot Mark Matter, 62, and passenger Cecelia Matter, 63. Their Piper PA-11, which took off from Aniak en route to the Marvel Creek area, was reported down on Marvel Dome just before 1:30 p.m. Friday.

"The initial scene investigation revealed the plane impacted Marvel Dome at a high rate (of) speed and that neither occupant survived the initial impact," troopers wrote.

Shaun Williams, the National Transportation Safety Board investigator looking into the crash, said he and troopers visited the crash site Saturday afternoon.

"It was snow-covered rising terrain, above the 2,000-foot level," Williams said.

Williams recovered evidence from the crash site, including electronics such as GPS transmitters and cellphones, as well as paper documents before the team returned to Bethel.

The plane hadn't yet been retrieved from the crash site, according to Williams. Investigators were still recovering and analyzing radio transmissions to and from the aircraft.

The Matters' bodies were sent to the State Medical Examiner Office in Anchorage for an autopsy, troopers said.