3 killed in Alaska Fairchild C-123 cargo plane crash on Denali

3 killed in Alaska Fairchild C-123 cargo plane crash on Denali

A cargo plane crashed today in Alaska’s Denali Park, sparking a wildfire in the area. Federal investigators headed today to the plane crash site and have identified it as a Fairchild C-123 registered to All West Freight Inc. of Delta Junction, Alaska.

The plane crashed into the south-facing slope of Mount Healy within a mile of the park headquarters and about 200 yards north of the only road into the park. It went down about 3 p.m. near the eastern edge of the park, about 180 miles north of Anchorage. Upon impact the plane caught fire and sparked a wildfire in the area. The fire was safely contained quickly at one acre.

According to information released by the agency, all three people on board were killed in the Alaska plane crash. Their identities have not been released yet. National Transportation Safety Board investigators are expected to arrive today.

Park spokeswoman Kris Fister said investigators had a hard time determining the number of fatalities in the Fairchild C-123 crash because “the plane pretty much disintegrated.”