Eight people have been killed after a charter plane crashed near a remote radar site in western Alaska, according to the U.S. military.
The civilian-contracted aircraft crashed on Thursday while approaching the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, about 450 miles (725 kilometres) west of Anchorage.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the aircraft was carrying two pilots and six passengers. It had departed Anchorage and was believed to have crashed early Thursday afternoon while on approach to Cape Newenham.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Eleventh Air Force, described the incident as a devastating loss.
“This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve,” Davis said in a statement.
He said those on board were “dedicated professionals” carrying out what he described as a vital mission in a demanding environment.
Davis said the immediate priority was supporting the victims’ families, friends and colleagues, while commending search and recovery personnel for their response.
The military did not disclose the specific work being carried out by the passengers, but confirmed that the aircraft was a civilian-contracted plane operating in support of activities linked to the remote radar site.
Cape Newenham is part of a network of isolated radar facilities managed by the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center. The sites are used to monitor aircraft operating in Alaska’s airspace and along its borders.
The cause of the crash was not immediately disclosed, as authorities began investigations into the circumstances surrounding the deadly incident.
