Archive · 22 Aug 2026
Eight Killed in Aircraft Crash Near Remote Alaska Radar Site
A small airplane crashed near a remote military radar station in Alaska.
Eight people were on board, and nobody survived.
Two of the passengers worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The plane had flown from Anchorage toward the radar station.
Fog and low clouds were moving into the area when the crash happened.
Visibility was first reported at about 10 miles, but it fell to less than one-quarter mile about 15 minutes later.
Investigators are traveling to the site to find out what happened.
The exact cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
A twin-engine Cessna 441 crashed near Cape Newenham in southwestern Alaska, killing all eight people aboard.
The victims included two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees, two pilots and six passengers.
The aircraft had departed Anchorage and was traveling toward a remote military radar facility.
Rapidly worsening fog reduced visibility from about 10 miles to less than one-quarter mile shortly after an automated weather observation.
The National Transportation Safety Board planned to examine the aircraft, flight path, emergency communications and weather data.
- Who
- Eight people were killed, including two pilots, six passengers and two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees.
- What
- A twin-engine Cessna 441 crashed near a remote military radar site.
- When
- The crash occurred around midday on Thursday; investigators were expected to arrive Friday.
- Where
- Near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport in southwestern Alaska, about 450 miles west of Anchorage.
- Why
- The cause remains under investigation; rapidly deteriorating fog and visibility are among the factors investigators will examine.
- Fatalities
- Eight people, including two pilots and six passengers, were killed.
- Aircraft
- Twin-engine Cessna 441.
- Departure
- Anchorage.
- Crash location
- Near Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, approximately 450 miles west of Anchorage.
- Weather change
- Visibility declined from about 10 miles to less than one-quarter mile in roughly 15 minutes.
- Military facility
- The radar site monitors air activity toward Russia, North Korea and China.
- Investigator
- The National Transportation Safety Board was traveling to the crash site.