2 Dead After Plane Crashes into Alaska River Moments After Taking Flight: ‘Shocked and Saddened'

Abigail Adams
·2 min read
1

The aircraft crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, April 23, according to a statement from the NTSB, obtained by PEOPLE

<p>Alaska State Troopers</p> Crash site outside Fairbanks, Alaska

Alaska State Troopers

Crash site outside Fairbanks, Alaska

  • Two people are dead after a plane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks, Ala. on Tuesday, April 23

  • The plane was reportedly in the air for just four minutes before it went down about seven miles from the airport

  • The National Transportation Safety Board said the aircraft was "a Part 91 fuel transport flight" that was "operated by Alaska Air Fuel"

Two people are dead after an plane crashed into the Tanana River in Alaska.

A Douglas DC-4 airplane went down outside of Fairbanks on Tuesday, April 23, according to a statement from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that was obtained by PEOPLE.

The airplane took off Tuesday morning from Fairbanks International Airport. It is believed to have been “a Part 91 fuel transport flight” that was "operated by Alaska Air Fuel," according to the NTSB.

Alaska State Troopers said the aircraft “slid into a steep hill on the bank of the river” before it burst into flames, according to the Associated Press and the Anchorage Daily News, which added that the crashed occurred about seven miles away from airport.

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Per the Daily News, a flight radar tracking website said the flight was in the air for just four minutes before it went down around 10 a.m. local time.

The Federal Aviation Administration said both members of the flight crew were killed in the crash. The victims’ identities have not been released.

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Michaela Matherne told the AP she was flying from the village of Galena to Fairbanks when her plane was diverted due to the crash. Initially, she and others thought something else had caught fire.

“We actually didn’t know what we were looking at until after we landed a few minutes later,” she explained. “We were shocked and saddened to hear that.”

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The Douglas DC-4 was developed during the World War II era, according to Airliners.net. A “small” number of these planes still operate “as freighters,” which transport goods.

The circumstances surrounding the crash remain unknown, the NTSB said Tuesday. An investigation into the crash is underway.

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Read the original article on People.