Alaska charter plane crash kills all 8 near radar site

A charter plane crashed near a remote radar site in western Alaska on Thursday, killing all eight people on board. The twin-engine Cessna 441, operated by Anchorage-based Security Aviation, was approaching Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport when it went down around 12:15 p.m. local time, about 450 miles west of Anchorage Source: AP News. The flight was chartered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and two of its employees were among the passengers Source: CNN.

The crash

The aircraft departed from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and was bound for the military-managed radar site, which tracks aircraft in Alaskan airspace Source: BBC. Rescuers who reached the site "confirmed there were no survivors," according to the Alaskan Command Source: Al Jazeera. The cause of the crash is not yet known, but foggy conditions were reported at the time, with visibility below 800 feet just before noon Source: CNN. The gravel runway sits on a mountain slope, and high terrain on both sides can make aborting a landing "improbable" after a certain point Source: CNN.

The response

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, called it a "devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve" Source: AP News. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski offered condolences and praised Security Aviation's experienced pilots Source: DW News. The NTSB and FAA are investigating, with the NTSB leading the probe Source: CNN. Names of the deceased will be released after next of kin are notified Source: BBC.