NTSB: Cape Newenham charter crew tried twice in fog before fatal crash

A charter flight to the Cape Newenham radar site missed an approach in fog, abandoned a diversion, and crashed on its second try Aug. 20, killing both pilots and all six passengers, the National Transportation Safety Board says.

The board's preliminary report, posted in early September and subject to change, does not say why. The investigation remains open.

The Cessna 441 crashed at about 11:45 am near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site airport on a Part 135 on-demand air taxi flight from Anchorage. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District says it chartered the flight with Security Aviation to inspect and maintain a new fire suppression system at the site.

The site reported 10 miles of visibility and an 800-foot ceiling at departure. Cleared for the Runway 15 approach at 10:27, the crew chose to hold. At 10:43 the site reported a quarter mile of visibility, patchy fog and a 300-foot overcast.

The crew began the approach at 11:02 with 3 miles of visibility in mist under a 300-foot broken ceiling. They reported a missed approach at 11:14, said they were in visual conditions and canceled their instrument flight plan.

A site technician told investigators the crew then said they would try Platinum Airport, about 23 miles north. Minutes later, the crew said they could not reach Platinum by radio and wanted a second approach at Cape Newenham. The report does not explain why.

At 11:24 the crew told Anchorage Center the weather had improved and sought an instrument clearance. When it came, the site reported a quarter mile of visibility, fog and a 300-foot overcast. No further radio calls followed.

The approach chart, dated July 9, 2026, sets a 1,320-foot minimum descent altitude and requires 3 miles of visibility. It places the missed approach point 2.2 miles north of the runway threshold, where federal rules require a climb if the crew lacks the required visibility and runway references. The chart warns the runway sits on the slope of a 2,306-foot mountain: "Successful go-around improbable if initiated past the MAP."

ADS-B tracking data, which dropped out several times, last showed the first approach at about 425 feet, 2.3 miles short of that point, at 11:11:40. On the second approach, the airplane crossed the point at about 1,000 feet at 11:43:18, descended to about 600 feet, and then the data ended at 11:43:51, 1.3 miles north of the threshold.

Thick fog kept one technician from his usual pre-arrival runway check. Another technician, talking to the crew by radio, lost sight of his visibility references and the runway. He then heard "normal motor sounds," the engines "throttle up," a "backfire," and silence. The report does not explain the sound.

Site staff found the wreckage in rising terrain about half a mile west of Runway 15's approach end. First impact was at about 610 feet, with a 160-foot debris path and a ground fire. The wreckage awaited recovery for examination.

The Air Force identified 2nd Lt. Leah R. Borsich, 23, a project programmer with the 611th Civil Engineer Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The Corps named fire protection engineer Sabrina Hansen and mechanical engineer Hayden Scalis, both of Anchorage.

The other five victims, two pilots and three passengers, remain unnamed in records reviewed. Military releases said the Alaska State Troopers would name them, but the Troopers' daily dispatch from Aug. 20 through Oct. 4 has no entry for the crash.

The FAA registry lists N128EZ as a 1979 Cessna 441 registered to N128EZ LLC of Anchorage, which the NTSB lists as the Part 135 certificate holder. Security Aviation is a party to the investigation. Neither company has commented in the records reviewed.

The NTSB has not set a date for the docket or final report on case WPR26FA309.