Wayne Church Rector and Family Recovering After Plane Crash

Rev. Frank Allen, rector of St. Davids Episopal Church in Wayne, and his wife and three sons were in a sightseeing plane in Alaska that crashed Tuesday.

According to Duke Today, an online publication of Duke University, the flight was an optional tour as part of the Duke Alumni Travel program, "Exploring Alaska's Coastal Wilderness." Allen,of the class of 1981, his wife Amy, also '81, and their three sons Will '10, Rob '13 and current Duke student Ben '16, were evacuated by the U.S. Coast Guard after the crash, Duke Today reports.

Frank, Will and Rob "suffered non-life threatening injuries and have been released from a local hospital. Amy and Ben Allen were flown to Seattle, where both underwent successful surgeries for injuries sustained in the crash," the website reports.

Seattle PI reports that Thomas L. Rising, 66, of Santa Fe, New Mexico was killed. The Pacific Wings de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver went down near the town of Petersburg, it reports.

"We ask for your patience, and we will update you with more information as we receive it.  At this time all the family requests of you are your prayers for all involved," read an email from the church on Tuesday afternoon.

"Our main concern at the moment is for the family and the family of the person who died, and we are asking for prayers for everyone involved," said a church spokesperson.

The sightseeing airplane crashed in "steep, rugged terrain in southeast Alaska," according to Duke Today.