Plane that crashed in Southwest Alaska, killing 8, was attempting to land

Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News on Aug 21, 2026

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — 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 site is about 450 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The plane was chartered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That federal agency said two of its employees were on the flight.

Two pilots and six passengers were on the plane, according to Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska region chief.

The plane, a Security Aviation Cessna 441, took off from the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. 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, Johnson said Friday. The pilot was making another approach to land, headed south, when the crash occurred, he said.

The plane was on an instrument approach, on an instrument flight rules flight plan, Johnson said. Generally, that can indicate low visibility in the area.

Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane before it landed, he said.

Responders found wreckage at the departure end of the runway, in an area of rising terrain, Johnson said.

Air traffic controllers in Anchorage received an alert notifying them that the plane didn’t make it to the airport, investigators say.

Search and rescue forces arrived at the scene of the crash by Thursday evening, according to Alaskan Command officials who oversee the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Supported by an HC-130J Combat King II, an Alaska Air National Guard HH-60W Jolly Green II landed near the crash site Thursday, according to a statement Friday from the Alaskan Command. Personnel from the 212th Rescue Squadron confirmed there were no survivors.

The radar site, managed by the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center, is part of a network of remote sites that tracks aircraft operating in Alaska’s airspace and along its borders, according to Alaskan Command. The sites are primarily operated by contractors.

The military did not provide details on the specific work the individuals were doing.

“This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve,” U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Eleventh Air Force, said in the statement.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.

Security Aviation did not immediately respond to an email Friday morning.

Members of Alaska’s congressional delegation expressed condolences in social media messages late Thursday.

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan said he’s requested a briefing from federal investigators “as we all seek answers on what caused this horrific tragedy.”

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she’s traveled extensively with Security Aviation throughout the state, “and have met many of their experienced pilots.”

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich called the crash “incredibly difficult news for many Alaskans, especially those in our close-knit aviation community.”

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