Cessna 441 Crash Kills All 8 Aboard Near Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site

A charter plane crash in western Alaska killed all eight people aboard, the U.S. military said, after the Cessna 441 departed Anchorage and crashed near Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site around 12:15 p.m. local time Thursday.

“Guardian Angel personnel from the 212th Rescue Squadron confirmed there were no survivors”

ABC

Federal Aviation Administration information cited by ABC News said the plane was headed to the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar site, and Alaskan Command later confirmed there were no survivors.

ABC

Alaskan Command said "Guardian Angel personnel from the 212th Rescue Squadron confirmed there were no survivors," and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

CNN reported that Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska region chief, said two pilots and six passengers were on board, and search-and-rescue crews later confirmed there were no survivors.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, and the NTSB will lead the probe, according to CNN’s account of the preliminary information.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, said in a statement that "This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve," as the crash investigation began.

ABC News quoted Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski saying, "I join Alaskans in offering condolences as we learn of the plane crash in Cape Newenham today," and she identified the flight as one operated by Security Aviation.

ABC

CNN reported that the flight was a charter operated by Security Aviation and that the Air Force said it was a civilian-contracted flight carrying eight personnel.

DW said Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski expressed her condolences following the crash, and it quoted her on X about having traveled extensively with Security Aviation.

USA TODAY added that names of the passengers and crew would be released 24 hours after next of kin were notified, while the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board investigate the crash.

The crash happened near Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, an Air Force airstrip that provides access to the Long Range Radar Site, according to CNN and the FAA details it cited.

“The cause of the crash is not yet known”

CNN

CNN reported that the cause of the crash was not yet known, that it was foggy at the landing strip around the time of the crash, and that poor visibility was reported at less than 800 feet just before noon.

NBC News said the plane had taken off from the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and was headed to Cape Newenham, and it reported that search and rescue teams landed near the site and confirmed there were no survivors.

Al Jazeera reported that rescuers who landed near the crash site "confirmed there were no survivors," and it said Alaskan Command was investigating and would name the dead after families had been informed.

The NTSB will lead the investigation, and CNN said it typically takes one to two years to determine the probable cause of a crash, as authorities coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies.