Air Force officer killed in remote Alaska crash was a ‘positive leader’

Air Force 2nd Lt. Leah R. Borsich was one of eight people killed when a plane carrying her team crashed while trying to land in foggy conditions at a remote radar site in western Alaska, service officials announced.

Borsich, 23, was a project programmer with the 611th Civil Engineer Squadron, an Air Force news release says. She was assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

Borsich graduated from the University of Dayton, Ohio, in 2025, where she was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, according to a social media post by the school’s president. Borsich majored in mechanical engineering and played several instruments in campus musical ensembles.

On Aug. 20, Borsich was part of a team sent to the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site on a flight chartered by the Army Corps of Engineers. The installation is managed by the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center.  After at least one missed approach in foggy conditions, according to local reporting, the plane crashed at an airport near the radar site, roughly 450 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Rescue teams from the Alaska Air National Guard’s 212th Rescue Squadron eventually reached the scene of the crash and confirmed there were no survivors, according to the Air Force. 

“Lt. Borsich was a positive leader who brought tremendous energy and enthusiasm to our command,”  Col. Timothy Meerstein, commander of Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center, said in a statement. “She led with professionalism, compassion and purpose, and her presence strengthened the bonds between the people around her. She made a lasting impact on our team, and we are grateful for her service and commitment to our nation.”

The Army Corps of Engineers has announced that two of its employees were also killed in the crash: Sabrina Hansen and Hayden Scalis. Both were on a mission to inspect and conduct maintenance on a new fire suppression system at the radar site.

“We mourn the tragic loss of our selfless teammates,” Lt. Gen. William H. “Butch” Graham, who leads the Army Corps of Engineers, said in a statement. “They were public servants and true professionals, dedicated to securing our nation. Our thoughts are with their families and colleagues during this time of immeasurable loss.”

Federal officials are investigating the crash. 

The facility at Cape Newenham is part of a network of remote radar sites that track aircraft in Alaskan airspace and on the state’s borders, according to the Air Force, and are some of the most remote U.S. military facilities on earth. The Cape Newenham site is particularly isolated on the Bering Sea, 70 miles roadless miles from the small fishing village of Togiak and hundreds of miles from the nearest town or city.

Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center manages a total of 21 installations across the Pacific that have long-range radars operated by contractors.

The Alaska State Troopers are expected to release the names of the other passengers who were not affiliated with the Department of Defense, officials said.

Borsich’s full service record was not immediately available. In college, she belonged to the the University of Dayton Symphonic Wind Ensemble in Ohio, which paid tribute to her in a recent social media post.

“Such a sweet soul,” the ensemble posted on its Facebook page. “We will miss you very much.”

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