At least four people died after two planes collided mid-air injuring another 10.
Police are still tracing two other persons believed to be missing from the crash that has left more questions than answers.
It was not immediately clear what caused the two small propeller planes — which had pontoons to land on water — to crash near George Inlet about 1 p.m., Alaska Standard Time.
Lt. Brian Dykens, a Coast Guard spokesman, said that passengers of Princess Cruises were on the planes, but that he did not have further details.
More than 50 members of the United States Coast Guard were using helicopters and boats to search the waters for the missing people, Lieutenant Dykens said.
Mischa Chernick, a spokeswoman for PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, said three of the passengers were in serious condition and seven were in fair condition.
One of the planes, a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, was carrying five people; the other plane, a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, was carrying 11 people, Lieutenant Dykens said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation and Safety Board have said they are probing what might have led to the fatal crash.