Fairbanks: A Douglas C-54 Skymaster aeroplane with two people on board crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks and burst into flames.

According to Alaska State Troopers, the aircraft took off on Tuesday morning from Fairbanks International Airport and crashed 11 kilometres away from there and “slid into a steep hill on the bank of the river where it caught fire.”

Clint Johnson, chief of the NTSB’s Alaska regional office said that the National Transportation Safety Board sent investigators to the site. He added that the cause of the accident is unclear as to what happened in the time between the takeoff and the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as C-54, which is a military version of the Douglas DC-4, a World War II-era aeroplane.

Further information on the accident is awaited. 

(Inputs from AP)