A small Piper PA-24 plane crashed into shallow waters near the remote Alaskan town of Seldovia on Wednesday, killing all four people aboard.

The plane had departed from Anchorage and was headed toward Seldovia when it crashed into the Seldovia Slough and became submerged in about 15 feet of water.

Rescue crews had to wait for the tide to recede before they could reach the aircraft and recover the bodies of the four adults.

The victims were identified as pilot Eric Middlebrook, 68, of Anchorage, and passengers Ronald Schmidt, 65, Lance Schmidt, 20, and Daniel Simons, 82, all from California, The Guardian has reported.

The cause of the crash remains unknown, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.