Former NASA administrator on crashed flight in Alaska

Former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, who is now chief executive officer of EADS North America, is among the passengers on a plane that crashed in Alaska Monday night, the company said Tuesday.

Other passengers who are believed to have been on the flight that apparently killed five of the nine passengers include former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.

"Local authorities are reporting that there are survivors and a rescue operation is underway," EADS North America spokesman Guy Hicks said in a statement. "No other details are available at this time."

Several sources told CongressDaily that former Senate Appropriations Committee chief of staff Jim Morhard and O'Keefe's son also were passengers on the plane, but their conditions are unknown.

O'Keefe has served as chief of EADS North America, the North American arm of the European consortium that manufactures Airbus aircraft, since November 2009. O'Keefe served as NASA administrator in the administration of President George W. Bush. He previously served as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, Navy secretary and Defense Department comptroller.