10 Killed in Alaska Plane Crash

Local Editor

Ten people were killed when an air taxi airplane crashed Sunday at the airport in the US city of Soldotna, in the state of Alaska, city police stated.

The US National Transportation Safety Board said late Sunday on its Twitter feed that it has sent a team to investigate the crash.

Alaska local media said the plane was a De Havilland DHC-3 Otter aircraft operated by Rediske Air.
Clint Johnson, head of the NTSB's office in nearby Anchorage, told local NBC network affiliate KTUU television that the plane with the pilot and nine passengers on board crashed early Sunday and then caught fire.

Johnson also told KTUU that the NTSB pulled back an investigator who was heading to San Francisco to help investigate the Asiana Airlines disaster to handle the Soldotna crash.

"Yes, we have launched another go-team to investigate the crash in Alaska," the NTSB said in a Twitter message.

Meagan Peters of Alaska State Troopers said the fixed-wing aircraft was engulfed in flames before firefighters could get to the plane. The victims have not yet been identified.

Flying across the vast northern state is common for Alaska residents, despite hazards including treacherous mountain passes and volatile weather.
The Soldotna crash comes a day after a far larger Asiana flight crashed at San Francisco's airport.

Soldotna, with a population 4,200, is located some 75 miles southwest of Anchorage in the far northwestern US state.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team