A state Division of Forestry plane crashed in Aniak Thursday. Forestry spokesperson Tim Mowry says the pilot and three passengers, all firefighters from Hooper Bay and Aniak, who were headed to a state wildfire base in Soldotna, survived the accident.
"The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from the Aniak airport, and fortunately, all four people were able to get out - suffered injuries, serious, but non-life-threatening injuries - and they were medevacked to Anchorage.”
A State Trooper report says the state-owned plane: an Aero Commander 500, crashed into a pool of water in a gravel pit. Mowry says the aircraft is a total loss, and the wreckage has been secured. The accident is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.