The Army Corps of Engineers-chartered aircraft crashed during its second landing attempt as fog and poor visibility affected Cape Newenham.
ANCHORAGE, AK — Eight people aboard a chartered twin-engine aircraft were killed Thursday when the plane crashed near a remote military radar site in western Alaska during its second attempt to land, according to the U.S. military and federal investigators.
The Cessna 441 was carrying two pilots and six passengers to the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site, roughly 450 miles west-southwest of Anchorage. The flight had been chartered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was operated by Anchorage-based Security Aviation. Two Corps of Engineers employees and four contractors were among the passengers, according to information released after the crash.
The aircraft left Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Thursday morning and was approaching the Cape Newenham airstrip when conditions deteriorated. National Transportation Safety Board officials said the crew made one approach that ended in a missed approach before the aircraft crashed during a second attempt. Investigators said the wreckage was found on land about a quarter-mile west of the runway in steep terrain.
Weather has emerged as an important part of the investigation, although federal officials have not determined what caused the crash. Preliminary information reviewed after the accident showed fog, mist and sharply reduced visibility near Cape Newenham. NTSB Alaska Regional Office Chief Clint Johnson said investigators were examining the flight’s approaches, weather conditions, radar information and the wreckage as they began trying to establish the sequence of events.
The U.S. military said an Alaska Air National Guard HH-60W rescue helicopter reached the area with support from an HC-130J aircraft. Guardian Angel personnel from the 212th Rescue Squadron landed near the crash site and confirmed that no one aboard had survived. The remote location and rugged terrain complicated access to the aircraft and the subsequent recovery operation.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Eleventh Air Force, called the crash “a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve.” Davis said those aboard were carrying out important work in a demanding environment and said support for their families and colleagues was the military’s immediate priority.
The Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site is managed by the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center. It belongs to a network of remote installations used to track aircraft operating in Alaska’s airspace and along its borders. Alaskan Command said the support center manages 21 installations across the Pacific and that long-range radar locations are primarily operated by contracted personnel.
The military did not initially identify the people killed, saying names would be released after relatives had been notified. Officials also had not publicly detailed the specific work the passengers were scheduled to perform at Cape Newenham. Security Aviation said it was cooperating with investigators and would not speculate about what caused the crash.
The NTSB dispatched a team of investigators to the site, with the Federal Aviation Administration also participating in the investigation. Johnson said the wreckage was highly fragmented and located in steep, mountainous terrain, making helicopter support necessary to recover major portions of the aircraft. Investigators planned to document the debris field and examine the aircraft’s engines, airframe and other components.
No probable cause has been announced. The NTSB investigation remains underway, with investigators expected to examine aircraft records, weather information, radar data, pilot actions and recovered wreckage before issuing preliminary findings and, later, a final determination of the cause.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 22, 2026.