For Second Time In A Few Months, Small Plane Crashes At A Dirt Airstrip In Wrangells

Two Killed In Piper Cub Crash Near Nabesna, Troopers Say 

A National Park Service sign shows a visitor a map of the southern part of Wrangell-St. Elias Park ('The McCarthy Road') and the northern part of the park ('The Nabesna Road'). In July, a fatal small plane crash occurred on the southern end. In September, another deadly crash has occurred – this time on the Nabesna end. 

Alaska State Troopers say two people in a Piper Cub have died in a fatal plane crash near Nabesna in the Wrangell Mountains. It's the second time in a few months that a crash has occurred in the Wrangell Mountain wilderness. In July, 2026, there was a crash near McCarthy, also in the Wrangells.  

The plane crash was reported before 8 pm on Thursday, September 17th. 

The plane was taking off in the Snag Creek region, from a dirt airstrip, the NTSB told the Anchorage Daily News, which also reported that authorities weren't sure if the flight was commercial or private. The NTSB will investigate the cause of the case, Troopers say.