Alaska Coast Guard helicopter could not respond to fatal January plane crash

SITKA, Alaska (AP) — A mechanical problem prevented a rescue helicopter from responding quickly to the scene of a fatal January air ambulance plane crash in Alaska, according to U.S. Coast Guard flight logs.

The logs indicate the helicopter that should have flown within 30 minutes of the call from Sitka to the crash site about 22 miles (35 kilometers) west of the small community of Kake. But the helicopter was grounded until the next morning due to an engine malfunction, CoastAlaska reported Tuesday.

As a result, no aerial search was conducted in the 12 hours after the Beechcraft King Air 200...