Eight Killed in Alaska Plane Crash, Including Two Army Corps Engineers

A twin-engine Cessna 441 that departed Anchorage for the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport crashed around midday on Thursday, killing the two pilots and six passengers. The aircraft was headed to the remote radar installation on the southwestern coast of Alaska, a site that monitors airspace toward Russia, North Korea and China.

The crash occurred in foggy conditions; an automated observation system recorded a low cloud ceiling and visibility of about 10 miles shortly before the accident, but a later update showed visibility had fallen to less than a quarter mile. The Federal Aviation Administration advises pilots to rely on GPS and other instruments when landing at the gravel airstrip built on a mountain slope.

"Dedicated professionals carrying out a vital mission in a demanding environment," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command and Eleventh Air Force, in a statement. He added that the loss was felt deeply by the military community.

The two Army Corps of Engineers employees were part of a project delivery team traveling to a U.S. Air Force-supported project site, according to a Corps statement. The flight was operated by Security Aviation, an Anchorage-based charter company, though the company had not responded to requests for comment.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators were dispatched to the scene, and will examine whether the pilots declared an emergency and the precise weather conditions at the time of the crash.