The door to a baggage compartment in the nose of the plane had popped open after takeoff and the pilot was forced to return to the airport and the crash followed, according to 32-year-old Karnely Ivanov, a survivor of the crash which took place yesterday in Kodiak, Alaska.

Six people have died as the chartered plane they had boarded crashed into a harbor after taking off from Kodiak Island. The chartered plane was carrying nine fishermen who were members of the dissident sect of the Russian Orthodox Church home for Christmas.

The air craft was a Piper PA-31 Navajo Chieftain, which belonged to Kodiak-based Servant Air. The crash took place about 50 yards off the end of a runway after decollating, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said.

The fishermen had been doing their job in Kodiak and took the plane home were they were suppose to celebrate the Eastern Orthodox Christmas. The Russians celebrate Christmas today.

Unfortunately, the fishermen didn’t make it to Homer and some of them didn’t even make it alive.

A witness to the crash, Dean Andrew, who was on a float plane, was taxiing nearby when he heard Robin Starrett (the Piper pilot) on the radio as he announced he needs to return to the airport. According to Andrew’s sayings, he could tell from Robin’s voice that something wasn’t going well.

After the crash, Andrew made efforts to pull the four survivors aboard his floating plane. The efforts he made were impressive. He did wit winds of about 25 mph battering the area and rescued hypothermic and hysterical people which were pointing out that their family members were still in the sunken fuselage.

"Once I got the four in, I could see down into the fuselage, but I couldn't see any signs of life," Andrew told reporters.

Five fishermen from Homer died along with the pilot: Stefan F. Basargin, 36; Pavel F. Basargin, 30; Zahary F. Martushev, 25; Iosif F. Martushev, 15; and Andrian Reutov, 22, officials said.

The officials also informed that the survivors are: Feodot Basargin, 33; Karnely Ivanov, 32; Andrean V. Basargin, 25; and Anton Rijkoff, 30.