A plane carrying two people crashed into an icy Alaska River and burst into flames on Tuesday, with “no survivors found,” police said.
Investigators said the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster crashed into the Tanana River at 10:03 a.m., minutes after takeoff from Fairbanks International Airport.
“The aircraft skidded into a steep hill on the riverbank, where a fire started,” Alaska State Troopers said. said in a release.
Two people were on board, but “no survivors have been found.”
The inferno jumped onto the tree line bordering the Tanana River and continued to burn for several hours, sending plumes of black smoke billowing across the fields.
The plane had only been in the air for about eight minutes before crashing.
Clint Johnson, director of the Alaska Regional Office of the National Transportation Safety Board, said it remains unclear what happened between takeoff and the crash, but tower managers “saw a large plume of smoke.” .
Information about where the plane was flying was not immediately available.
The Federal Aviation Administration described the plane as a Douglas C-54, the military version of the Douglas DC-4.
This airplane model first entered service during World War II, and numerous aircraft were used during the Berlin Airlift in 1948-1949.
Only a few remain in active service, two of which are operated by Alaska Air Fuel.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.
with post wire
