A sightseeing plane carrying a pilot and eight cruise ship passengers crashed into a cliff in southeast Alaska late Thursday, killing everyone on board, the plane’s operator, Promech Air.

A sightseeing plane carrying a pilot and eight cruise ship passengers crashed into a cliff in southeast Alaska late Thursday, killing everyone on board, the plane's operator, Promech Air, said.

The DeHavilland DHC-3T Otter, a floatplane, crashed in steep, mountainous terrain about 25 miles northeast of Ketchikan.

The plane crashed sometime around midday and was reported overdue in the afternoon when it did not return to its base, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

However, the body recovery process only took place on Friday due to poor weather conditions. However, authorities didn't determine the reason why the plane went down.

The plane had taken off on a tour of the 2-million-acre Misty Fjords National Monument, accessible only by floatplanes or boats. The eight passengers were from the MS Westerdam, which left Seattle on Saturday for a seven-day round-trip cruise.

Two years ago, a single-engine propeller plane crashed in Soldotna, Alaska, killing all 10 people on board.