A charter aircraft carrying eight people crashed near a remote radar site in western Alaska on Thursday, August 20, killing everyone on board, according to the US military.
The crash occurred at the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, about 450 miles (725 kilometres) west of Anchorage.
US Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and the Eleventh Air Force, described the incident as a devastating loss for the military community and the communities it serves.
The radar facility is operated by the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center and forms part of a network of remote radar installations used to monitor aircraft operating within Alaska’s airspace and along its borders.
Authorities said the aircraft was a civilian-contracted plane but did not disclose details about the specific mission being carried out by those on board.
Davis described the occupants as professionals performing an important mission in a challenging environment and said the immediate priority was supporting their families, friends and colleagues.
Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska region chief, said the aircraft had two pilots and six passengers on board.
According to Johnson, the plane departed from Anchorage and was believed to have crashed early Thursday afternoon while approaching Cape Newenham.
