Lituya Bay, pictured, is the sight of a Friday helicopter crash that left three people missing. The body of one of the men on board was recovered Monday. (Coutesy Photo | Mandy Lindeberg, NOAA/NMFS/AKFSC via Flickr)

Lituya Bay, pictured, is the sight of a Friday helicopter crash that left three people missing. The body of one of the men on board was recovered Monday. (Coutesy Photo | Mandy Lindeberg, NOAA/NMFS/AKFSC via Flickr)

Troopers recover one of three from helo crash site

Body of Sutton man found Monday near Lituya Bay crash site

A search and rescue team recovered the body Monday of one of three people missing from a Friday helicopter crash near Lituya Bay, according to a Tuesday release from the Alaska State Troopers.

David William King, 53, of Sutton was found dead a little after 11 a.m. on a beach three-quarters of a mile south of the crash site. A Juneau-based state trooper flew to the scene and investigated. The body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy, though no foul play is suspected.

King was flying with three others, two of whom are still missing. Brothers Aiden Peppard, 14, and Andrew Peppard, 11, both of Anchorage, are reported to have been on the flight with Joshua Peppard, 42.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Aiden was the lone survivor found by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday. He is currently at an Anchorage hospital being treated for injuries sustained in the crash.

USCG, AST and the National Park Service coordinated a search and rescue effort and were able to locate the crashed helicopter near the shore in Lituya Bay, about 115 miles west of Juneau. Debris from the helicopter is scattered along the shoreline and in the surf south of Lituya Bay.

After two days of searching, the USCG suspended search and rescue efforts on Sunday.

The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and is sending investigators to the scene of the crash.


• Contact reporter Kevin Gullufsen at 523-2228 and kgullufsen@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @KevinGullufsen.


More in Home

A map of Alaska shows the three Social Security Administration field offices in Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks. (Google Maps)
Social Security may cut phone support, force Alaskans online or to Juneau, Anchorage or Fairbanks

Reports: About 40% of claims handed by phone nationwide, 60,000 rural Alaskans lack broadband.

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé sophomore Layla Tokuoka drives against Wasilla senior Mylee Anderson during a Feb. 7, 2025, game at the George Houston Gymnasium. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Southeast teams prepare for the state basketball tournament

Juneau-Douglas, Ketchikan, Mt. Edgecumbe and Sitka have hearty tasks

An aerial view of downtown Juneau. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Local federal workers get mixed messages about returning to jobs after firings rescinded

DOT worker says he’s supposed to resume work Thursday; Forest Service worker says status still unclear.

Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, speaks Feb. 21, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska legislators ask feds to reinstate program that sent money to rural schools

The Alaska House of Representatives is asking Congress to fix a problem… Continue reading

A 2.9-acre plot of land donated to Huna Totem Corp. by Norwegian Cruise Line is the site for the proposed Aak’w Landing private cruise ship dock. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Amendments to Huna Totem’s proposed private cruise dock to be taken up Monday night by the Assembly

A dozen proposals seek limits on ship size, fines for violations, setting various operational goals.

A storage shed on Meadow Lane catches fire Monday morning. (Photo by Chelsea Stonex)
Storage shed fire spreads to two vehicles, causing explosion, but no injuries reported

Two homes on Meadow Lane suffer broken windows and other damage, according to CCFR.

‘Wáats’asdiyei Joe Yates, Raye Lankford, X̱’unei Lance Twitchell and Rochelle Adams pose with the Children’s and Family Emmy Award award Lankford and Twitchell won for co-writing the an episode of the PBS animated children’s show “Molly of Denali.” (Photo courtesy of ‘Wáats’asdiyei Joe Yates)
‘Molly of Denali’ episode wins best writing honor at 2025 Children’s and Family Emmy Awards

First Emmy win for animated PBS show goes to episode co-writers X̱’unei Lance Twitchell and Raye Lankford.

The Tlingit and Haida Elders Group performs the entrance dance at the 89th annual Tribal Assembly of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Trump rescinds Biden executive order expanding tribal sovereignty and self-governance

Order giving Natives more access to federal funds cited in awarding of major Southeast Alaska projects.

The House Finance Committee listens to public testimony about next year’s proposed budget on Friday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The Alaska House budget currently has a ‘full’ PFD of about $3,800. Except it really doesn’t.

Legislators on all sides agree PFD will shrink drastically before floor vote to avoid $2 billion deficit.

Most Read