Conflict · Alaska radar crashSecond Try in Fog Kills 8 at Remote Alaska Radar StripAired August 23, 2026 at 3:45 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Eight people died trying a second0:01landing they could not see. The charter0:03carried Army engineers and contractors0:05to a mountain radar station with no road0:07and no alternate runway where fog erases0:10the margin for error. What forced a0:12second instrument approach when the0:13first already failed? All eight aboard0:15died, two pilots [music] flying for0:16security aviation and six passengers.0:19Two were US Army Corps of Engineers0:20[music] employees, four were contractors0:22traveling with them. The aircraft was0:24Security Aviation [music] flight 45,0:27call sign SVX 45, a 1979 Cessna 4410:31[music] Conquest II, registration0:33N128EZ,0:35MSN 441-0128,0:38operating as a 14 CFR [music] Part 1350:41on-demand charter. It left Ted Stevens0:44Anchorage International Airport around0:459:12 to 9:14 [music] a.m. local0:47Thursday, August 20, bound for Cape0:49Newenham long-range radar site airport,0:52ICAO PAH, about 450 [music]0:54mi southwest on the Bering Sea coast.0:56The destination was initially reported0:58as Cape [music] Newanam and Camp1:00Newingham. The correct name is Cape1:02Newenham, a United States Air [music]1:04Force long-range radar site, not an Army1:06site. It is part of the Alaska NORAD1:09region under the 611th [music] Air1:10Support Group and 11th Air Force, built1:13in 1951 by Alaskan Air Command [music]1:15with Haddock Engineers, operational in1:171954 with the 794th Aircraft Control1:20[music] and Warning Squadron,1:22redesignated November 1, 1983 and1:24transferred to 11th Air [music] Force in1:261990. The Corps chartered the flight to1:28support Air Force project work there.1:30Weather collapsed between takeoff and1:32arrival. The crew held, flew one1:34instrument approach that ended in a1:35missed approach, then flew the second1:37instrument approach on [music] which the1:38accident occurred. At a strip where the1:40last 200 ft of runway 15 can have parked1:43aircraft and approach is preferred from1:45the northwest to land 15 [music] and1:46take off 33. A missed first approach in1:48low fog leaves almost nowhere to go.1:50Impact was in steep rising mountainous1:53terrain about 1/4 mi west of the runway.1:55[music]1:56Some accounts place it 1/4 to 1/3 of a1:58mile, others up to about 1 mile. The2:01variation reflects the slope and fog.2:03Wreckage was highly fragmented with a2:05post-crash fire. Helicopter recovery was2:07required. Military search and rescue,2:09including Alaska Air National Guard2:11assets, confirmed no survivors.2:13>> [music]2:13>> The sequence comes from an NTSB briefing2:16published August 22nd from the August 212:18broadcast, enriched [music] with NTSB,2:20FAA, and military statements. Six NTSB2:24investigators are on site, joined by an2:26FAA investigator [music] from2:27Washington, D.C. Radar data from the2:29radar site captured the approaches.2:31Investigators will rely on radar, air2:33traffic communications, and wreckage2:35examination. The Cessna [music] 4421 in2:37this configuration is typically not2:39required to carry a cockpit voice2:40recorder or flight data recorder. So,2:42any available cockpit or communications2:44data will be reviewed. No civil suits2:46had been filed as of August 23,2:48>> [music]2:48>> though Aviation Council is monitoring.2:50Condolences have come from Air Force2:52Lieutenant Gen. Robert Davis and Senator2:54Lisa Murkowski. One record describes a2:56third circuit [music] and go around2:58before the second attempt. The NTSB3:00preliminary findings simply [music] says3:01the accident occurred on the second3:03attempt. A difference in granularity,3:05not [music] substance. A preliminary3:07report is expected in weeks. A final3:09probable cause is expected in 1 [music]3:11to 2 years. Recovery, identification,3:13and notification are the only work still3:15to be completed on the ground.3:17Like and follow for more stories that3:19matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗