c 17 crash elmendorf

Alaska C 17 plane crash: Air Force cargo plane crashes, 4 dead - photo gallery 

 

The fiery crash of a C 17 cargo plane killed four men at Elmendorf Air Force Base near downtown Anchorage, Alaska. Reportedly, three of the men who died were in the Alaska Air National Guard.The fourth was on active duty at the base.

The plane crashed during a training run at the Air Force base. According to the Associated Press, the C-17 plane crash happened at approximately 6:14 p.m. during a training demonstration for an upcoming weekend air show.

New of the AlaskaC-17 Globemaster cargo plane plane crash quickly spread through the Internet, making it a top Google trend late Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. 

Fox News: Anchorage Fire Dept. Captain Bryan Grella said his crew was just finishing dinner at about 6:30 p.m. at the downtown fire station when something caught his eye. "It was a big, gray plume of smoke, and I saw a fireball go up in it," he said. The fireball extended about 750 feet in the air, he estimated.

CNN: In a statement Thursday, 3rd Wing commander Col. John McMullen said, "Our deepest sympathy and sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of those airmen killed in this crash. Yesterday, we lost four members of our Arctic Warrior family and it's a loss felt across our entire joint installation. Right now, our immediate focus is on providing all possible support to the loved ones of our fallen aviators. We are also engaged in a deliberate investigative process."