Eight perish in remote Alaska plane crash; Feds sift wreckage

The National Transportation Safety Board on Friday investigated a deadly plane crash in western Alaska that occurred around noon on the day before, spokesman Peter Knudson told WORLD. The Cessna 441 airplane, operated by Security Aviation, was flying from Anchorage, Alaska, to remote Cape Newenham, Knudson said. The plane crashed near its destination. All eight people aboard the plane died in the crash, the U.S. military told WORLD.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told WORLD that it chartered the flight, and two of those killed were its employees. They were part of a project delivery team en route to the project site, the Corps said. A long-range military radar site is located at Cape Newenham. It is only accessible by air or sea.

Five NTSB investigators were traveling to the accident site to try to determine what happened, Knudson said. They will document the plane’s wreckage. The wreck will then be moved to a secure facility for further examination, he said. Investigators will also gather information, including details on local weather conditions, aircraft maintenance records, and the pilot’s background and activities, he said. The NTSB will release a preliminary report on the likely cause of the accident within the next month.

Dig deeper: Read Micah Barkley’s report on a deadly aircraft collision in Pennsylvania.