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A plane crash in Alaska may have claimed the life of one of the state's former senators, as well as a former head of NASA. Former Republican U.S. Senator Ted Stevens was aboard a plane that crashed in Alaska, a congressional source told Reuters on Tuesday. The Associated Press also reports that former NASA Administrator, Sean O'Keefe, was on board. Nine people are believed to have been aboard in total, five of whom died, and Alaska National Guard spokesman Maj. Guy Hayes said. It is unclear if O'Keefe is among the survivors. Stevens was confirmed dead by friends. Hayes said The Air Force 11th Rescue Coordination Center, which is operated by the Alaska National Guardsmen, was called to the area about 20 miles north of Dillingham at about 7 p.m. Monday after a passing aircraft saw the downed plane. But severe weather has hampered search-and-rescue efforts. Several people who were in the area are at the sight of the crash, the Anchorage Daily News reports. “They're not out there alone right now. There's people that are providing support,” Hayes said. “From what I'm told, there are survivors on this aircraft. I don't know how many could be fatalities at this point.” Medical personnel are also at the scene, the Air National Guard said in a statement. Stevens served in Congress for 60 years and was its longest-serving Republican senator. He lost his bid for re-election in 2008. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-08-10/stevens-dead-in-alaska-plane-crash-f… http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Ted_Stevens_109th_picto… http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/08/10/2010-08-10_former_sen_ted_st… added by: EmperorThan