Ted Stevens, Longtime Senator, in Plane Crash

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(CBS/ AP) There were conflicting reports on whether Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history who lost his seat after a corruption conviction that was later dismissed, was killed Tuesday in a small plane crash in Alaska.

A family friend said Stevens, 86, was among five people killed in the crash in southwest Alaska. The same friend said later the death had not been confirmed.

In 1978, Stevens survived a Learjet crash in Anchorage that killed five people, including his first wife.

Over the years, Stevens became a political legend in Alaska. Affectionately nicknamed "Uncle Ted," he was named "Alaskan of the Century" in 2000 by the state legislature and the airport in Anchorage bears his name. Thanks to Stevens' long tenure and clout on Capitol Hill, Alaska earned substantial influence in national politics well beyond its small population.

However, Stevens is also known for his fiery temper, the career-ending corruption trial and championing the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," a $400 million pork transportation project designed to link two remote islands.

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