NANWALEK, Alaska — Two people were killed and a third seriously injured Monday afternoon when a small aircraft crashed near the remote village of Nanwalek on Alaska’s southern Kenai Peninsula, state officials confirmed.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety said in a statement that the Alaska State Troopers responded to the crash site and found two adults dead at the scene. A third adult was critically injured and was airlifted to a hospital in the Anchorage area for emergency treatment.
The single-engine Cessna 207 went down near Nanwalek, a coastal village accessible only by air or water, according to local reporting from Alaska’s News Source. The exact time of the crash has not been publicly disclosed, and no information has yet been released regarding the identities of the victims or the cause of the crash.
State and federal agencies are now working to determine what led to the fatal incident. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
As of Monday evening, officials had not commented on possible weather conditions or mechanical issues contributing to the accident. Nanwalek, home to fewer than 300 residents, is located approximately 120 miles southwest of Anchorage and is known for its reliance on small aircraft for transportation, deliveries, and emergency services.
The incident comes as U.S. aviation safety remains under heightened scrutiny. The FAA and NTSB have recorded dozens of aviation-related incidents across the country in the first four months of 2025. While most have been non-fatal, several have raised serious concerns about equipment safety and air traffic control systems.
Among the year’s deadliest incidents so far was a midair collision on Jan. 29 involving a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 jet, operating as American Airlines Flight 5342, and a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River. All 67 individuals aboard both aircraft were killed in the crash, prompting renewed calls for stronger oversight of both military and commercial airspace integration.
Small aircraft accidents, such as the crash near Nanwalek, remain a persistent concern in rural and remote regions of Alaska, where terrain, weather conditions, and limited infrastructure often make aviation the most viable means of travel. The NTSB has long noted that Alaska has a disproportionately high rate of general aviation accidents compared to the rest of the United States.
As investigators comb through the wreckage on the Kenai Peninsula, the focus will now turn to recovering the aircraft’s flight data—if available—and interviewing witnesses or anyone with knowledge of the aircraft’s flight plan. The FAA said it will release a preliminary report within days, though final findings may take months.
The identities of the deceased and the condition of the injured survivor have not been released pending notification of family members.
