A panel of military personnel is set to investigate a C-17 plane crash which, according to witnesses, created a huge fireball spanning hundred of feet above the Elmendorf base near Anchorage.
The cargo plane was in the midst of a training run on Wednesday carrying four people onboard when it crashed into the Air Force base, said authorities. No report regarding casualties has been released.
Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins said during a press conference on Wednesday night that the cargo plane does not have an eject option and it was unlikely that someone was able to escape. However, he also said he wasn’t privy to any details regarding to whether or not there were any fatalitys.
“It’s likely there are fatalities involved in this mishap,” Atkins said.
Access to the crash site was closed immediately after the crash, which occurred at 6:14 in the evening.
The plane belonged to the 3rd Wing, which is stationed in Elmendorf. The crash occurred while the plane was performing a training demonstration for an upcoming airshow that same weekend.
Captain Bryan Grella of the Anchorage Fire Department said they were having dinner at around 6:30 in the evening at the fire station downtown when something grabbed his attention.
“It was a big, gray plume of smoke, and I saw a fireball go up in it,” Grella said. He also said the fireball rose approximately 750 feet over the base.
The plane crash is the third aircraft incident in Anchorage for the summer alone. Last June, a small aircraft crashed minutes after takeoff from the Anchorage airport, leaving four people burned and one child dead.
After a few days of the Anchorage airport incident, another small plane made an emergency landing on Glenn Highway, the only access route into Anchorage from the north. Fortunately, there were no casualties on the busy highway.
Sen. Mark Begich and Gov. Sean Parnell issued statements on Wednesday to express their sadness regarding the crash and to offer well-wishes to the military.
“Alaskans are very connected to the military, and our thoughts and prayers are with Alaska’s Air Force family,” said Parnell.
