8 people killed in a charter plane crash in western Alaska

A charter plane crashed near a remote radar site in western Alaska, killing all eight people on board, federal aviation and U.S. Army officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced that, according to preliminary information, a Cessna 441 plane took off from Anchorage heading to Cape Newnham, about 450 miles to the southwest, but it crashed near its destination at approximately 12:15, Thursday afternoon.

Clint Johnson, head of the Alaska Region of the National Transportation Safety Board, said that two pilots and six passengers were on board the flight operated by Security Aviation, according to what the Associated Press reported.

Alaska Command said the plane was a civilian-contracted flight with 8 people on board. The command said search and rescue crews later confirmed that there were no survivors.

The command stated in its statement that the plane crashed at Cape Newnham Airport, an air force airstrip that provides access to the long-range radar site.

Alaska Command said in its statement that the names of the passengers and crew members will be revealed after their relatives are informed.

The cause of the accident is not yet known.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the crash, and the FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.

Only approved military and charter flights are permitted to land at the Cape Newnham facility.

CNN affiliate KTUU reported that the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, run by the Alaska Air National Guard, confirmed it had launched a search and rescue mission on Thursday in response to an alert from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the accident.

CNN reached out to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Security Aviation, the US Coast Guard, Alaska State Police, and the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center.