The following is a list of events of the year 2023 in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

Incumbents

State government

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

: Mike Dunleavy ( R)

Events

* January 11 – The launch of an unmanned

ABL Space Systems Long Wall (formerly ABL Space Systems) is an American aerospace company, based in Long Beach, California (originally from El Segundo, California), that manufactures deployable launch vehicles and infrastructure for missile defense, formerly for ...

RS1 rocket fails at the

Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska The Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA), formerly known as the Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC), is a dual-use commercial and military spaceport for sub-orbital and orbital launch vehicles. The facility is owned and operated by the Alaska A ...

in Kodiak. The rocket crashes during the launch, damaging the launch platform and destroying the rocket and its cargo. * January 17 – A

polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...

attacks and kills a woman and her son in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, after charging several others, in the first fatal attack since the early 1980s. The bear is shot and killed following the attack. * February 10 – 2023 Alaska high-altitude object: The White House's spokesperson John Kirby announces that the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

shot down a high-altitude object over territorial waters in Alaska, just days after shooting down a Chinese balloon over the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. The object was ordered to be shot down by

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

because it posed "a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight". * April 27 –

2023 Alaska mid-air collision On 27 April 2023, two AH-64 Apache helicopters belonging to the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, at Fort Wainwright, collided near Healy, Alaska, approximately south of Fairbanks, when returning from an exercise ...

: Three

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

personnel are killed and another is injured when two

AH-64 Apache The Hughes/McDonnell Douglas/Boeing AH-64 Apache ( ) is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. Nose-mounted sensors help acquire targets and provide night vis ...

helicopters collide over Healy, near

Fort Wainwright Fort Wainwright is a United States Army installation in Fairbanks, Alaska. Fort Wainwright is part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the coterminous Fairbanks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The installation is managed by U.S. Army Garrison ...

. * May 29 – One person is killed and four others are missing after a chartered boat sinks near Sitka. * July 16 – A 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Alaska, causing a

tsunami warning A tsunami warning system (TWS) is used to detect tsunamis in advance and issue the warnings to prevent loss of life and damage to property. It is made up of two equally important components: a network of sensors to detect tsunamis and a communic ...

to be issued for the region. * August 10 – Alaska reports its worst

air quality Air pollution is the presence of substances in the Atmosphere of Earth, air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be Gas, gases like Ground-level ozone, ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles li ...

in recorded history after extreme amounts of smoke enter the state due to the Canadian wildfires. * November 20 – An

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

kills three people and leaves several others missing in Wrangell. * * *

References

{{Years in the United States 2020s in Alaska 2023 in the United States Years of the 21st century in Alaska

Incumbents

State government

Events

See also

References