Two fatal aviation crashes strike Alaska within one week
Two fatal Alaska aviation crashes within a week killed multiple people; NTSB investigating.
Event / Disaster
Alaska Aircraft Crashes
Two fatal aircraft crashes occurred in Alaska within one week. A Cessna crashed at a remote military site in western Alaska killing eight people, and a Piper PA-24-260 crashed near Seldovia killing four people.
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2026-08-27 to 2026-11-08 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 27 Aug, 12:04 UTC
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What happened
NTSB investigates cause of Seldovia plane crash
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash of the Piper PA-24-260 aircraft near Seldovia, Alaska. The cause of the crash remains unclear at this time. NTSB Alaska region chief Clint Johnson noted that the aircraft was submerged in shallow water and accessed after tidal conditions changed.
Small plane crashes near Seldovia, Alaska, killing all 4 aboard
A Piper PA-24-260 aircraft departed Merrill Field Airport in Anchorage and was traveling to Seldovia Airport when it crashed into shallow water in the Seldovia Slough at approximately 1:18 p.m. on Wednesday. All four adults on board were killed in the crash. The plane was submerged in about 15 feet of water near the shore. State troopers retrieved the bodies after waiting for the tide to recede at approximately 6:30 p.m. The bodies were sent to the state medical examiner's office for autopsy.
Second fatal plane crash in Alaska within one week
A week prior to the Seldovia crash, another aircraft crashed at a remote military site in western Alaska, killing all eight people on board. The Cessna was making its second runway approach in heavy fog when visibility became an issue. The two pilots were flying solely by instruments when the plane crashed approximately one-third of a mile from the gravel airstrip. Regulations required the pilots to abort their first landing attempt due to lack of visibility.
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