8 on board as Cessna charter plane crashes near Alaska radar station

Eight people aboard a twin-engine Cessna charter plane were killed after it crashed Thursday near a remote radar site in western Alaska, the Alaskan Command confirmed.

The aircraft was flying from Anchorage to Cape Newenham when it went down, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The aircraft, operated by Security Aviation, was headed to Cape Newenham, about 40 miles south of Goodnews Bay, according to Clint Johnson, the NTSB’s Alaska chief.

The aircraft was carrying two pilots and six passengers, Johnson said.

Johnson said the plane crashed on land near Cape Newenham Airport, an Air Force airstrip that provides access to the Long Range Radar Station.

The NTSB, Alaska State Troopers and the Rescue Coordination Center were responding to the crash site, he added.

The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center said it launched a search-and-rescue operation after receiving a report of an “aircraft incident” near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site.

The centre said further information would be released as it became available but did not respond to questions.