Small plane crashes in water next to remote Alaska coastal town, killing all 4 on board

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Four people were killed Wednesday when a small plane crashed into shallow coastal waters near a remote Alaska community, marking the state’s second deadly aviation disaster in less than a week.

The Piper PA-24 was flying from Anchorage to Seldovia when it went down in Seldovia Slough near the shoreline, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. The small community sits about 136 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The aircraft came to rest submerged beneath roughly 15 feet of water, Clint Johnson, Alaska regional chief for the National Transportation Safety Board, said.

Alaska Plane Crash

Alaska State Troopers initially could not reach the wreckage and had to wait for the tide to recede before accessing the plane.

Troopers eventually recovered the bodies of all four adults from inside the aircraft. Their remains are being sent to the state medical examiner, and their identities are being withheld pending notification of relatives.

Authorities have not determined what caused the crash. The NTSB is investigating.

Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan said he expects to receive a full briefing from the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration.

NTSB investigators document the accident site Aug. 23, 2026, of the Cessna 441 airplane that crashed near Cape Newenham, Alaska, on Aug. 20 (AP)

“These tragedies are heartbreaking and unacceptable, which is why aviation safety and infrastructure in Alaska continue to be a top focus of mine,” Sullivan said in a statement.

The crash came less than a week after eight people were killed when another aircraft went down while approaching a remote military radar installation in western Alaska.

That plane, a Cessna 441 operated by Anchorage-based Security Aviation, crashed Thursday near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, about 450 miles west of Anchorage.

The charter flight had departed Anchorage International Airport with two pilots and six passengers aboard. Officials said it was making a second approach through heavy fog when it crashed near the gravel runway.

All eight people aboard were killed.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it had chartered the aircraft and confirmed that two civilian employees were among those aboard. The agency said it is cooperating with the investigation.

Federal investigators are now examining both fatal crashes, which together have claimed 12 lives in Alaska in less than a week.