Map shows remote Alaska base where plane crashed, killing eight
Eight people have been killed after a charter aircraft crashed while approaching a remote U.S. Air Force-operated radar site on the coast of western Alaska, the U.S. military has said.
The plane, a Cessna 441, had taken off from Anchorage and is thought to have crashed as it was approaching Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, around 450 miles west of Alaska's largest city, according to civil aviation authorities. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Friday that the aircraft had made at least one unsuccessful landing attempt and was making another approach to land when it crashed.
Two of those on board were pilots, and the other six were passengers, said Clint Johnson, the Alaska chief for the NTSB, the government agency tasked with investigating civil transportation accidents.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it had chartered the aircraft and that two of its employees were among those killed in the crash. While officials have not disclosed the specific purpose of the flight, the top U.S. commander in Alaska said those on board "were dedicated professionals carrying out a vital mission in a demanding environment."
Johnson told reporters the aircraft was operating on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan and conducting an instrument approach to the airfield. He said air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane before it landed. Investigators found the wreckage in rising terrain at the departure end of the runway, according to Alaska media reports citing the NTSB.
"This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve," said U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Robert Davis, commander of U.S. Alaskan Command, the Alaskan NORAD Region and the Eleventh Air Force.
Alaska Republican Senator Dan Sullivan said he had requested a briefing from the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), for "answers on what caused this horrific tragedy."
"I join Alaskans in condolences as we learn of the plane crash in Cape Newenham today," fellow Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said. "I’ve traveled extensively with Security Aviation throughout Alaska, and have met many of their experienced pilots."
The Anchorage-based Security Aviation is a prominent air charter company that says it takes passengers to "remote and secluded destinations" across Alaska for business or leisure travel.
Although planes are vital for getting around in Alaska, the state is known for its difficult flying conditions. The weather can change suddenly and aviation officials say crews often make flight decisions while in the air because of fewer stations monitoring how conditions are changing.
The total flight accident rate for Alaska was 2.35 times higher than for the rest of the U.S. between 2008 and 2017, according to NTSB statistics.
In February 2025, a commuter plane flying off Alaska crashed into sea ice, killing all 10 people on board the flight from the rural area of Unalakleet to the nearby city of Nome. A final NTSB investigation into the fatal incident, published in late July this year, said the flight had been over the weight limit for flying in the icy conditions that day and that the pilot had likely been multitasking ahead of approaching Nome airport, meaning the airspeed dropped.
Cape Newenham is a radar site perched on the Bering Sea. There is a network of radar stations stretching across Canada and Alaska that picks up potential threats, including missiles or aircraft, approaching North America.
These types of threats are jointly monitored by NORAD, the U.S. and Canada's binational command.
These radar stations are managed by the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center, housed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The Cape Newenham site is one of 15 remote radar locations across Alaska, according to military officials.
Remote early warning radar stations like Cape Newenham date back to the early Cold War, when U.S. officials were concerned about spotting Soviet bombers capable of targeting North America. Cape Newenham was one of several sites expanded in the late 1960s and early 1970s to host offices and dormitories below the mountaintop radar facility.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Dan Orton and Tony Phillips.
Update 8/21/2026 at 8:31 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.