A plane crashed at a remote military site in western Alaska, resulting in the tragic deaths of all eight individuals on board. The incident occurred during the aircraft’s second attempt to land on the gravel airstrip in heavy fog, leading to a loss of contact, as per authorities. The two pilots were navigating solely by instruments due to poor visibility, with the initial landing attempt being aborted in adherence to regulations. Unfortunately, the plane crashed approximately 500 meters from the runway on the subsequent approach, surrounded by mountainous terrain on three sides.
The passengers included the two pilots, two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees, and four contractors, two of whom were affiliated with Calista Brice, a subsidiary of Calista Corp., an Alaska Native regional corporation. The purpose of their mission at the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site, located about 725 kilometers west of Anchorage on Alaska’s southwest coast, has not been disclosed by the military.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators were en route to the crash site for further examination. The radar installation, established in the 1950s for early missile attack detection, now serves to monitor airspace towards Russia, North Korea, and China. U.S. Air Force Lt.-Gen. Robert Davis expressed sorrow over the loss, emphasizing the dedication of the individuals involved in fulfilling critical tasks in challenging conditions.
Weather conditions deteriorated with heavy fog in the area prior to the crash. Initial reports from a nearby automated observation system indicated low cloud cover, fog, and visibility of about 16 kilometers before visibility drastically decreased to less than 400 meters post-crash. Aviation safety expert Mike O’Donnell suggested that the adverse weather conditions may have warranted the pilots to divert to an alternative landing site.
The airstrip is part of a network managed by the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center, responsible for monitoring aircraft movements within Alaska’s airspace and along its borders. The Cape Newenham outpost, previously closed in 1983 following radar upgrades, is now sporadically visited by civilian contractors for maintenance purposes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed that the deceased employees were part of a project team supporting the U.S. Air Force, yet specific project details were not disclosed.
The flight was operated by Security Aviation, a charter company based in Anchorage, which, at the time, had not responded to requests for comments.