8 Killed as Charter Plane Crashes Near Remote Alaska Radar Facility

A charter aircraft carrying eight people crashed near a remote radar site in western Alaska, killing everyone on board, U.S. military officials said.

The aircraft, a twin-engine Cessna 441, had departed from Anchorage and was heading toward the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, about 450 miles west of Anchorage. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane crashed at around 12:15 p.m. local time Thursday, west of the radar site's airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska region chief, Clint Johnson, said the aircraft was carrying two pilots and six passengers. Initial reports had said authorities were still determining the occupants' status, but Alaskan Command later confirmed that all eight people died in the crash.

The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center launched a search-and-rescue operation after receiving an alert about an aircraft incident near the radar facility. Search and recovery personnel were subsequently deployed to the crash site.

The aircraft was operated by Security Aviation and was on a civilian-contracted charter flight. The Cape Newenham facility is part of a network of remote radar installations used to monitor airspace activity in Alaska and along U.S. borders.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, described the incident as a “devastating loss” and said the priority was supporting the victims' families, friends and colleagues.

The cause of the crash remains unknown. The FAA and NTSB are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, while officials have not yet attributed it to weather, mechanical failure or pilot error.

The identities of those killed are expected to be released after authorities complete notifications to their next of kin.