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Plane CrashesVersion 3

Alaska Plane Crash Kills 8, Investigation Underway

A federally-chartered Cessna 441 crashed in Western Alaska, killing eight people, according to conflicting reports.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 21, 2026, 2:00 a.m. ETUpdated Sep 8, 2026, 10:22 p.m. ET
A federally-chartered crashed on either August 20 or September 1, 2026, according to conflicting reports from alaskasnewssource.com and abc7news.com. The crash occurred while the plane was attempting to land in thick fog at a remote radar site in Western Alaska, on the second attempt about a quarter-mile from the runway, alaskasnewssource.com reported. The plane was operated by , according to alaskasnewssource.com. The number of people on board is disputed: alaskasnewssource.com reported people ( pilots and passengers), while abc7news.com reported people on board and survivors. Alaskasnewssource.com reported fatalities, and said four of the victims have been identified. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is launching a six-member team led by Senior Air Safety Investigator Eric Gutierrez from Seattle, and an investigator from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is traveling from Washington, D.C., to assist, according to alaskasnewssource.com. The cause of the crash has not been determined, and the investigation is ongoing, according to alaskasnewssource.com and abc7news.com.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
128 ft
Nearest aerodrome
1.7 miles W of Merrill Field (PAMR/MRI)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 39 Sept 2026, 02:22current

    Alaska Plane Crash Kills 8, Investigation Underway

  2. Version 24 Sept 2026, 21:47

    Updated to reflect conflicting reports on date, location, and souls on board; added survivor count and investigation status from abc7news.com.

  3. Version 127 Aug 2026, 01:10

    First published.

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