A charter plane carrying eight people crashed near a remote radar site in western Alaska on Thursday, killing everyone on board, the US military said.
The crash occurred at the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, about 450 miles (725 km) west of Anchorage.
“This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve,” said US Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Eleventh Air Force.
Earlier, Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska region, said two pilots and six passengers were aboard the aircraft. He said the plane had departed from Anchorage and was believed to have crashed early Thursday afternoon while approaching Cape Newenham.
Johnson said the information available at the time was preliminary.
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 center said it would provide more information as it became available.