News Release

Plane Crash in Denali's Southwest Preserve

Date: August 10, 2023
Contact: Sharon Stiteler, 907-683-9583

Denali National Park and Preserve officials were informed by the Alaska Air National Guard Rescue Coordination Center (AKRCC) that they had initiated a search for an overdue aircraft in the park’s southwest preserve. Using coordinates from a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) associated with the overdue pilot, the RCC had launched an initial search aircraft late Wednesday night, August 9; however, the flight was turned around due to weather.

This morning, RCC launched a second rescue flight to the search zone. Military personnel located the aircraft wreckage in a narrow ravine in the park's southwest preserve. The search crew was unable to land at the accident site due to the steep terrain, but they observed that survivability of the crash was unlikely. 

Coordinating with investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Denali National Park and Preserve rangers will fly to the site Friday afternoon to continue the investigation.

The identity of the pilot has not been released, and it remains uncertain whether a passenger was onboard the aircraft at the time of the accident.

This will be updated later with additional information as it is developed.