Astronaut William Anders IDed as pilot in Washington crash; search rescue underway

Astronaut William Anders IDed as pilot in Washington crash; search rescue underway

William Anders, an Apollo astronaut who snapped the iconic 1968 “Earthrise” photo of the Earth while orbiting the moon, has reportedly been identified as the pilot of a plane that crashed near the San Juan Islands on Friday, according to Fox 13 Seattle, citing social media posts from friends and family of the former astronaut.

The plane, according to flight data and FAA records obtained by the outlet, was a vintage Air Force T-34 Mentor owned by Anders, who lives in San Juan County.

A search and rescue mission is underway at the crash site.

“Earthrise” (NASA)

Anders was part of the Apollo 8 mission, which orbitted the moon before returning to Earth.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.

Source: independent.co.uk