Air Force Identifies 23-Year-Old Leah Borsich in 8-Fatal Alaska Crash as Fog Shrouds Second Approach
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 25
Air Force Identifies 23-Year-Old Leah Borsich in 8-Fatal Alaska Crash as Fog Shrouds Second Approach
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 25
Summary
2nd Lt. Leah R. Borsich, 23, was identified Monday as one of eight people killed in the Aug. 20 charter plane crash near the Cape Newenham radar site in western Alaska.
NTSB officials said the Cessna 441 lost contact during its second attempt to land on a gravel runway after aborting a first approach because pilots could not see the runway in heavy fog.
The flight, operated by Anchorage-based Security Aviation, was carrying two pilots and six passengers, including an Army member, two Army Corps of Engineers employees and four contractors supporting an Air Force project.
Visibility near the airport was reported at about 10 miles shortly before the crash and fell to less than a quarter-mile about 15 minutes later, underscoring the rapidly worsening conditions now under investigation.
Cape Newenham is part of Alaska's remote radar network monitoring airspace toward Russia, North Korea and China, highlighting the military importance of the site the team was traveling to support.