NASA Administrator Bolden, NATA President Coyne Praise Senator Stevens

GCI Senior Vice President of legal, regulatory and governmental affairs Dana Tindall (pictured), is a confirmed fatality aboard the GCI-owned plane that crashed Monday near Dillingham, AK. In a release on the GCI website, the company confirms that Dana’s 16-year-old daughter, Corey Tindall, was also aboard the flight and did not survive the crash. Dana leaves behind a husband, Virgil Peachey, and a son, Connor Tindall.

“Our hearts are with Dana’s family,” said GCI President and CEO Ron Duncan. “Dana and her daughter Corey were a big part of our GCI family and we are devastated by the news of their passing.”
 
Dana Tindall served in her current role since mid-1993 and previously served as GCI's vice president of regulatory affairs during a 24-year career with the company. Tindall has served as an adjunct professor of regulatory economics at Alaska Pacific University. She is a past board member of both the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation and the Alaska Council on Economic Education. Tindall received her bachelor's degree in economics and master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan.

In a statement appearing on the site, Duncan called former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, and the others on the plane, "good friends."

"We are deeply grateful to the search-and-rescue professionals and the many good Samaritans who responded so quickly and rendered assistance to the injured passengers.

"On behalf of the men and women of GCI, I offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends dealing with this heartbreaking event. We will do all we can to support them in the weeks and months ahead."

Duncan added that the identification of victims will be handled by the Alaska State Troopers pending notification of next-of-kin. The investigation into the cause of the crash will be handled by the NTSB.

Meanwhile, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (pictured) issued the following statement Tuesday about the plane crash in Alaska:

"We at NASA are deeply saddened by today's news that former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and others were killed in a plane crash in Alaska that also injured former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and his son, Kevin. As a long-time supporter of NASA, Sen. Stevens made lasting contributions to our agency and our country. We at NASA mourn his loss and send our deepest condolences to his family, as well as the families and friends of all who perished in the accident. We also send our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Sean, Kevin, and other survivors of the crash. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families."

NATA also mourned those lost in the accident. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families of those involved in the crash," NATA President James K. Coyne stated. "Our country lost a great American today. Chairman Stevens was a remarkable member of the U.S. Senate as well as a steadfast supporter of the general aviation community, especially in the state of Alaska."

FMI: www.gci.com, www.ntsb.gov, www.nasa.gov, www.nata.aero