A Cessna 441 chartered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crashed near Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport in western Alaska, killing all eight people aboard. The aircraft went down Thursday on land near the airport, about 450 miles west of Anchorage.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said two of the people killed were agency employees. The reported that the flight carried two pilots and six passengers.
Clint Johnson on the flight path
Clint Johnson, the Alaska chief with the National Transportation Safety Board, said the twin-engine Cessna was chartered to fly from Anchorage to Cape Newenham. He said the plane went down near the Cape Newenham Airport, tying the crash to a flight serving the remote radar site south of Goodnews Bay.
The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened a search and rescue mission Thursday after a Federal Aviation Administration alert notification. The National Transportation Safety Board, Alaska State Troopers and the Rescue Coordination Center were responding to the site as the incident remained under investigation.
USACE and Security Aviation
The flight was a charter mission for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, yet the crash details and cause remained under investigation. Security Aviation operated the twin-engine aircraft, and the Corps said it was coordinating with local, state and federal authorities while preparing to release additional information as available and appropriate.
Robert Davis, the U.S. Air Force lieutenant general who leads Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Eleventh Air Force, said, "This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve" in a statement to The.
Lisa Murkowski and Nick Begich
Lisa Murkowski said, "Alaska is praying for those on board, their loved ones, and the team at Security Aviation." Nick Begich said he and his wife Dharna "join Alaskans across our state in praying for everyone affected and the entire Security Aviation family."
The crash left the Corps with two dead employees aboard a charter flight tied to work at a remote radar site, and the next public details are likely to come from the investigators on scene.
