Eight people were killed after a charter aircraft crashed near a remote military radar site in western Alaska on Thursday. The US military’s Alaskan Command confirmed the deaths after the search and rescue operation was completed.
The aircraft was carrying two pilots and six passengers when it went down near Cape Newenham. According to Reuters, citing a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Cessna 441 crashed west of Cape Newenham LRRS Airport at around 12:15.
The charter aircraft had taken off from Anchorage International Airport and was headed to Cape Newenham when the accident occurred. The plane was operated by an Anchorage-based air charter company.
Following the crash, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center launched a search and rescue operation after receiving information about an “aircraft incident” near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site.
Rescue teams searched the remote area following the crash. The operation was later concluded after authorities confirmed that all eight people on board had died.
Authorities are now expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash and determine what caused the aircraft to go down near the radar site.
