Alaska, United States: Three people were killed after a Piper PA-22-150 crashed while attempting to land at the Dan Creek airstrip near McCarthy, Alaska, with federal investigators probing the fatal accident.
According to the Alaska State Troopers, the crash was reported at approximately 9:30 p.m. on July 27, 2026, after a personal aircraft went down at the Dan Creek airstrip, located roughly 15 to 20 miles east of the remote community of McCarthy in the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains. Responders reached the site aboard a state aircraft early the following morning and discovered the wreckage shortly after 6 a.m. on July 28, confirming that all three occupants had died.
An initial report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified the aircraft as a Piper PA-22-150, a four-seat, single-engine airplane operating as a personal flight. According to the FAA, the aircraft banked left while landing, impacted terrain and caught fire, resulting in a post-crash fire that destroyed the aircraft and killed the pilot and two passengers.
The remains of the three occupants were recovered from the wreckage and transported to the Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy and formal identification, Alaska State Troopers said.
Family members have identified local pilot Jason Lobo and 23-year-old Anadyr Elliott as two of the three people killed in the accident. The identity of the third occupant had not been officially confirmed at the time of reporting.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened an investigation into the accident after being notified by Alaska State Troopers. The agency is expected to determine the circumstances and probable cause of the crash.
The accident remains under investigation, and authorities have not released any additional information regarding factors that may have contributed to the crash.
