UPDATE: SEN. TED STEVENS DEAD Former Sen. Ted Stevens Missing And Feared Dead In Alaska Plane Crash

UPDATE: CNN confirms that Sen. Ted Stevens was killed.

Former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens is feared to be among eight missing persons aboard a plane that went down near Dillingham, Alaska last night. Severe weather is restricting the search for survivors.

The Alaska Air National Guard was called to the area about 20 miles north of Dillingham at about 7 p.m. after a passing aircraft saw the wreckage, spokesman Maj. Guy Hayes said. Eight people were reported to be on board the aircraft, though their status wasn't immediately known, he said. There were possible fatalities, he said. National Transportation Safety Board reported that it will send a "Go Team" from Washington, D.C., to Dillingham to investigate the crash. The teams can consist of up to a dozen or more specialists from the board's headquarters staff and are responsible for investigating major cases -- they are the arm that responds to "catastrophic airline crash sites" -- for the board, according to the NTSB.

Steven lost his seat in 2008 days after being convicted for failing to report gifts from supporters.