Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash

By MARK THIESSEN
Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A federal aviation official says one of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, Alaska. Clint Johnson, head of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska division, says the pilot had made radio contact Tuesday about the in-fight emergency shortly after taking off. They were attempting to return to Fairbanks International Airport when they lost contact. The plane crashed about 7 miles outside Fairbanks, hitting a steep hill and sliding down an embankment to the banks of the Tanana River. Alaska State Troopers say no survivors were found.