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Plane crash kills 8 in Alaska
All eight people aboard a charter flight died after it crashed while approaching a remote western Alaska radar site.
What happened
A Security Aviation Cessna 441 left Anchorage for Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site and crashed west of its airport. The flight had missed an earlier approach because pilots could not see the ground. It crashed on a second approach. Search teams later found the wreckage and confirmed no survivors.
Numbers
- 8 deathsPeople aboard the charter flight — No survivors were found
- ¼ mileWreckage location from the runway — After weather delayed responders
- 450 milesApproximate route from Anchorage — To Cape Newenham
Questions
- Who was on the flight?
- The victims included two Army Corps of Engineers employees, four contractors and two pilots, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
- Why was the approach difficult?
- Poor visibility caused the first missed approach, and rising terrain around the airport makes the area challenging for aircraft operations.
- What does the radar site do?
- Cape Newenham is part of a network of remote facilities that track aircraft in Alaska’s airspace and along its borders.
- Who will investigate the crash?
- The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with the Federal Aviation Administration also involved in examining the incident.
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The catch
Investigators have not determined the cause, and officials had not released the victims’ names.
Information remains preliminary.