Former Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders dead after plane crash in ...

SAN JUAN COUNTY, Wash. (KOMO) — Retired Maj. Gen. William “Bill” Anders, a former Apollo 8 astronaut, was killed in a plane crash near the coast of Jones Island in Washington state Friday morning. He was 90 years old.

Anders’ son, Lt. Col. Greg Anders, confirmed to KOMO that his father was killed when the vintage Beechcraft T-34 Mentor he was flying crashed. Greg Anders said his father was the sole occupant of the plane at the time of the crash.

Anders is the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the famous “Earthrise” photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968.

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office said the crash was first reported to the dispatch center around 11:40 a.m. Friday. The sheriff’s office said an “older model plane” was reportedly flying from north to south before crashing near the north end of Jones Island and sunk.

The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed to KOMO Friday afternoon it was investigating a crash of a Beechcraft A A 45, also known as a T-34, that crashed about 80 feet offshore of Jones Island. The NTSB said the T-34 crashed “under unknown circumstances.”

“Once the aircraft is recovered from the water, it will be transported to an offsite facility for further examination by NTSB investigators,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Sheriff’s office deputies along with crews with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the NTSB responded to the scene of the crash.

The NTSB asked any witnesses to the crash or anyone who has information about that crash that could be relevant to the investigation to contact investigators at [email protected].