FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash. (AP) — Retired Maj. Gen. William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic “Earthrise” photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He was 90.
His son, Greg Anders, confirmed the death to The Associated Press.
FILE – This Dec. 24, 1968, file photo made available by NASA shows the Earth behind the surface of the moon during the Apollo 8 mission. (William Anders/NASA via AP, File)
Authorities responded to a small plane crash Friday near the San Juan Islands in Washington state.
A report came in around 11:40 a.m. that an older-model plane crashed into the water and sank near the north end of Jones Island, San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter said.
Peter said the sheriff’s office, U.S. Coast Guard and personnel from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife were conducting search and rescue efforts.
A team of divers was also headed to the potential crash area in the San Juan Channel, Peter said.
The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating the crash.
