- A charter aircraft carrying eight people crashed Thursday as it tried to land near a remote radar site on the Bering Sea coast in Southwest Alaska, killing all on board.
- The crash occurred as the plane landed at Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, authorities said Friday.
- The crash happened about 12:15 p.m. Thursday, west of the radar site. The plane made at least one attempt to land but missed the approach and tried again; the pilot was making another approach, headed south, when the crash occurred.
- Search and rescue forces arrived by Thursday evening; an Alaska Air National Guard HH-60W Jolly Green II landed near the crash site, and personnel from the 212th Rescue Squadron confirmed there were no survivors.
- The plane, a Security Aviation Cessna 441, took off from the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
- Two pilots and six passengers were on the plane, according to Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska region chief.
- The plane was on an instrument approach and an instrument flight rules flight plan; air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane before it landed. Responders found wreckage at the departure end of the runway, in an area of rising terrain.
A charter aircraft carrying eight people crashed on Thursday near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport in Southwest Alaska, resulting in no survivors. The plane, a Security Aviation Cessna 441, was chartered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with two of its employees on board.129
The crash occurred around 12:15 p.m. as the pilots attempted a second landing approach after missing the first. According to Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska region, the aircraft was on an instrument flight rules flight plan when it lost contact with air traffic controllers.10111213
Search and rescue teams, including personnel from the 212th Rescue Squadron and supported by an HC-130J Combat King II and an HH-60W Jolly Green II, confirmed the wreckage was found at the departure end of the runway in an area of rising terrain. The Alaskan Command reported that responders arrived at the crash site by Thursday evening.678
The incident highlights the risks associated with aviation in remote areas, particularly under challenging weather conditions. Investigations by the NTSB are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the crash.
“The Cessna 441, operated by Security Aviation, was on an instrument approach when controllers lost contact before landing. Wreckage was found at the departure end of the runway in rising terrain, and the Alaska Air National Guard confirmed no survivors.”
