THE ALASKA STORY
Sept. 19, 2026 – Another aircraft crash in Alaska on Thursday killed two people in the Wrangell Mountains, bringing the death toll from four fatal crashes in less than a month to 16.
A Piper PA-18 Super Cub crashed shortly after taking off from a dirt airstrip in the Snag Creek area near Nabesna on Sept. 17. Alaska State Troopers said they received a report of the crash at 7:51 pm. Both people aboard died. Their names had not been released pending notification of their families.
The remote crash site is in the northern Wrangell-St. Elias area. The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday that it was investigating the crash of a Piper PA-18 near Tok. Investigators had not yet determined what caused the plane to go down, and it was not known if the fight was private or an air taxi.
The crash follows three other fatal Alaska aviation accidents since Aug. 20. Eight people died when a charter plane crashed near the Cape Newenham radar site that day. Four more died in a crash near Seldovia on Aug. 26, and two more died when a plane crashed near Aniak on Sept. 15.
Details of the latest crash remain limited. Weather and the site’s remoteness could delay investigators’ access to the wreckage. The NTSB is expected to release a preliminary report after examining the scene.
Note: Image at top of story is created by AI, does not depict the real plane or the real area.
One thought on “Two killed in Wrangell Mountains plane crash, fourth fatal Alaska crash in less than a month”
It’s moose season. Gotta’ go now, or it doesn’t happen. And the weather typically sucks.
It’s a recipe for disaster.