Accident – Death – Obituary News : : 1. Fairbanks plane crash victims
2. Pilot fatalities Fairbanks crash
The Alaska State Troopers identified the pilots who tragically lost their lives in a recent cargo plane crash as John Sliwinski and Harry Secoy. Sliwinski, owner of Alaska Air Fuel, was remembered as a passionate aviator and family man. Secoy, a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot turned attorney, spent his last years flying DC-4 planes in Alaska. The crash occurred shortly after takeoff from Fairbanks International Airport, with one of the men reporting an in-flight fire. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident. Stay updated on this developing story. Get the latest details from Anchorage Daily News.
The Alaska State Troopers this week identified the pilots tragically killed in the crash last month of a cargo plane loaded with fuel as 68-year-old Anchorage resident John Sliwinski and 63-year-old Harry Secoy of Palmer.
Sliwinski, the owner of Alaska Air Fuel, a Wasilla-based company, operated the plane that supplied numerous remote communities with fuel deliveries. He was remembered at a memorial service last month as a passionate aviator, family man, and active member of the Anchorage Grace Church community.
Secoy, on the other hand, worked as an attorney in Washington state for about two decades. He was a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot who spent his last years working in Alaska as a DC-4 pilot.
The tragic incident occurred moments after the plane took off from Fairbanks International Airport on the morning of April 23. The aircraft was carrying about 3,400 gallons of unleaded fuel and two 100-gallon propane tanks for a 300-mile flight to the Northwest Alaska village of Kobuk. The preliminary federal report indicated that the DC-4 crashed into the Tanana River about 7 miles southwest of the airport before sliding into a bluff and being consumed by flames.
According to investigators, one of the pilots reported an in-flight fire shortly after departure and requested a return to the Fairbanks airport just before the crash. A witness described hearing an explosion and seeing one of the plane’s four engines on fire.
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to issue a probable cause report next year to determine the exact circumstances that led to this tragic event.
In conclusion, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of John Sliwinski and Harry Secoy during this difficult time. We hope that the investigation will provide answers and closure to all those affected by this heartbreaking incident.