NASA astronaut Bill Anders dies in plane crash in Washington

Coast Guard officials say they responded to an area between Orcas and Jones Islands.

DEER HARBOR, Wash. — Former NASA Astronaut William “Bill” Anders was flying the plane that crashed in the waters of the San Juan Islands on Friday, his son, Greg, confirmed with KING 5.

Greg Anders confirmed to KING 5 his father’s body was recovered Friday afternoon. The U.S. Coast Guard also confirmed Bill Anders’ body was recovered by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife dive team.

“The family is devastated. He was a great pilot. He will be missed,” a statement from the family reads.

The first report of the crash came in around 11:40 a.m., according to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. The caller reported the plane was flying from north to south, before crashing into the water near the north end of Jones Island.

The USCG, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were on scene for the search and rescue operations.

The NTSB said the plane is a Beechcraft A A 45, also known as a T-34 and that the airplane hit the water about 80 feet offshore of Jones Island.

Once the aircraft is recovered from the water, the NTSB said the airplane will be transported to an offsite facility for further examination by investigators. A preliminary report will be available within 30 days and a final report, including the cause of the crash, will be available within 12 to 24 months, according to the NTSB.

The search lasted for nearly 4 1/2 hours and covered 215 nautical miles, according to the USCG.

Philip Person and his wife witnessed the crash from their cabin. He said the two were looking west toward Jones Island – watching seals and other wildlife – when they saw a small plane heading north.

The plane, according to Person, turned and began flying south.

The plane began doing what appeared to be a loop and became inverted. The pilot appeared to try and pull up before the plane hit the water, according to Person.

“But it was too low and … it didn’t clear the water,” he said, adding that it appeared that one of the plane’s wings clipped the water before crashing, bursting into flames.

The plane broke apart and “instantly went underwater,” Person said.

“I could not believe what I was seeing in front of my eyes,” Person said. “It looked like something right out of a movie or special effects. With the large explosion and flames and everything.”

They immediately called 911 and were told by dispatch that multiple calls were coming in about the crash.

Apollo 8 mission

Maj. Gen. Bill Anders, 90, was a member of the Apollo 8 space mission, which was the first crew to reach the moon in 1968. He took one of the most famous photographs of the Earth rising over the lunar horizon.

Anders previously told KING 5 that he never planned to take a picture of the Earth.

“On our third orbit around the moon, I looked out the window and thought, man! That’s really something,” said Anders. “So, I took out the camera.”

Anders said he believed it has a special place in history.

“It showed how fragile the Earth was, how small the earth was and it basically kickstarted the environmental movement,” Anders said. “We’d come all the way to the moon to study the moon and we discovered the Earth.”

Anders and his wife Valerie have six children together.