A chartered Cessna 441 crashed west of Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport in southwest Alaska on Thursday, killing all eight people on board. The twin turboprop, operated by Anchorage-based Security Aviation, had departed Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport for the remote radar site, which supports monitoring of aircraft across Alaska airspace.
Authorities said the aircraft was on an instrument approach in likely low-visibility conditions when contact was lost and it went down near the runway’s departure end in rising terrain. The manifest listed two pilots and six passengers, including two employees of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Search and rescue crews reached the site on Thursday evening, and the Alaska Air National Guard confirmed there were no survivors.
The crash involves access to a military facility as well as civil aviation operations at one of Alaska’s more isolated airstrips. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating, while military officials will release the names of those aboard after next-of-kin notifications are complete.