The body of a Utah man has been recovered after a plane crashed into an Alaskan lake

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The bodies of two men, including a U.S. Air Force colonel who served as director of operations for Alaska Command, have been recovered after their plane crashed into an Alaskan lake.

The plane was found Thursday about 50 feet deep in Crescent Lake on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, about 100 miles south of Anchorage.

Volunteers from the Alaska Air National Guard and the Alaska Dive Search, Rescue and Recovery Team used a remote vehicle to float the Piper PA-18 Super Cub and tow it to shore, Alaska Wildlife Troopers said in an online statement.

The bodies of both col. Mark “Tyson” Sletten, 46, of Anchorage, and Paul Kondrat, 41, of Salt Lake City, were inside the plane. They were sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies.

The National Transport Safety Council will investigate the cause of the accident.

“The news was devastating to all of us here at Alaskan Command, and Tyson’s loss is felt throughout our community,” Lt. Gen. David Nahom said in a statement. “Right now, our priority is taking care of his family and our colleagues who were close to Tyson.”

The Alaska Command, located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, conducts homeland defense, civil support and security missions.

The two men were on a training flight on Tuesday when the plane crashed. An Alaska Department of Public Safety helicopter and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service float found debris on the lake, but no sign of survivors. Recovery efforts began Wednesday.