William Anders, Apollo 8 astronaut, took "Earthrise" photo, dies in plane crash age 90

[ifindedout]

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took famous 'Earthrise' photo, dies in plane crash

Apart from being one of the astronauts on Apollo 8, Anders is noted for "Earthrise," a famous photo of the planet looking like a blue marble from space.

www.usatoday.com

William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who captured a famous photo of Earth looking like a blue marble from space, was reportedly killed in an airplane crash in Washington on Friday. He was 90.

Anders' son, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Greg Anders, confirmed to King5 and the Associated Press that his father was killed in the crash and that his body has been recovered.

Officials received reports around 11:40 a.m. that an older model plane went into the water and sunk in the San Juan Channel near Orcas Island, according to a San Juan County Sheriff’s Office news release. The Federal Aviation Administration said only the pilot was on the aircraft.

The aircraft crashed in the water about 80 feet offshore from Jones Island, Washington, under unknown circumstances, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
Anders is best known as the Apollo 8 lunar module pilot who captured the iconic photo of Earth looking like a blue marble from space. He called the photo, named "Earthrise," the most significant contribution he made throughout his astronomical career.

Accident Beechcraft A45 Mentor ,

A Beechcraft A45 Mentor airplane was destroyed when it impacted the waters 80 feet offshore of Jones Island, Washington. The pilot perished in the accident. An online video shows the ai...

aviation-safety.net

RIP, Mr. Anders. Per aspera ad astra.

 

[Quim The Extraordinaire]

RIP, William Anders. Thank you for your beautiful photo. From the article linked above:

He called the photo, named "Earthrise," the most significant contribution he made throughout his astronomical career.

That image is a gift to humanity.

Respect for maintaining his pilot’s license. Sounds like flying was in his blood. Although his last flight ended sadly, no one else was hurt and I hope his loved ones find some comfort that he passed doing something he clearly loved.

 

[LadyL]

RIP dear man. Thank you for your contributions to the world.

 

[ifindedout]

Ex-astronaut who died in Washington plane crash was doing a flyby near a friend's home, NTSB says

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report into the fatal plane crash of former astronaut William Anders.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

William Anders, whose “Earthrise” photo showed the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, had texted a friend to say he planned to do a flyby near her house on the western shore of Orcas Island, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report.

The friend said Anders' flybys were not unusual, according to the NTSB. She said that he typically did two flybys, and while he sometimes rocked the airplane wings, "he never performed any kind of aerobatic maneuvers.”

Around 11:37 a.m. on June 7, the friend began to hear the “familiar” noise of his airplane, the NTSB said. Shortly after, she saw the older-model Beech A45 overhead traveling north along the shore in front of her house.

She briefly lost sight of the plane as it flew behind trees. When she saw it come back into view it was heading south and flying over the water. After it passed by, she saw the left wing drop and thought it was part of his routine. But the wing continued to drop as the plane plummeted toward the water below.