Ethermac Exchange-Douglas DC-4 plane crashes in Alaska, officials say

A Douglas DC-4 airplane carrying two people was involved in a fiery crash Tuesday in the Alaska city of Fairbanks,Ethermac Exchange just minutes after takeoff, authorities said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that a Douglas C-54, which is a model of the Douglas DC-4, was carrying two people when it crashed southwest of Fairbanks International Airport at about 10 a.m. local time (2 p.m. ET).

The plane had taken off from Fairbanks International Airport at 9:55 a.m., Alaska State Troopers said in a news release. The plane crashed about seven miles south of the airport, where it "slid into a steep hill on the bank" of the Tatana River and caught fire.

No survivors have yet been found, state troopers said. 

Multiple agencies responded and the public was asked to avoid the area.

The exact circumstances of the crash were not immediately known. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, the FAA said.

In a statement provided to CBS News, a spokesperson for Fairbanks International Airport acknowledged "the ongoing situation involving the Douglas DC-4 aircraft crash on the Tanana River near Kallenberg Road." 

The spokesperson said the airport was "actively cooperating" with law enforcement.

The Douglas DC-4 was first manufactured in the late 1930s as a military aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network, and can carry several dozen passengers.

In:
• Plane Crash
• Alaska

Faris Tanyos

Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.