Iditarod Plane Crash: 3 Bodies Found Along Iditarod Route

Three bodies were recovered from the wreckage of a small passenger plane along the route of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday.

The wreck occurred near Rainy Pass, a mountain in the Alaska range that serves as an early checkpoint in the grueling 1,000 mile sled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. The wreckage was spotted by members of the Alaska Air National Guard at the 4,000 ft. level.

Onboard the downed Cessna 182 were 59-year-old pilot Ted Smith, 48-year-old Carolyn Sorvoja and her daughter 10-year-old Rosemarie Sorvoja, all residents of suburban Anchorage The plane was on its way to the village of Takotna, 176 miles beyond the crash site.

While there is an "Iditarod Air Force," a group of volunteer pilots who transport supplies, dogs and race officials along the route, the Cessna was not a part of it and all of the IAF pilots are accounted for.

The airspace surrounding the Iditarod is typically a busy place, as the high vantage point provides ideal watching conditions for spectators. However, officials are uncertain if the downed plane was watching the race.

The pilot, Ted Smith, was a retired Anchorage Police officer who served the city for 29 years. Smith retired in 2011 and his station reports that he was a passionate man who dedicated a large amount of his time to modernizing the force's firearms training programs.

The Iditarod, which began on Saturday, has run every year for the last three decades. When the race began, a typical winning time was around 20 days. However, due to advances in technology a modern winner of the brutal race will finish in eight or nine days. The total purse for this year's event is $600,000 dollars to be divided among the top 30 finishers. The overall winner also receives a brand new pickup truck.