John Sliwinski : Fairbanks Crash Victims Identified: Fuel Service Owner and Former Attorney

Updated: 31 minutes ago Published: 31 minutes ago

The Alaska State Troopers have revealed the identities of the pilots who tragically lost their lives in the crash of a cargo plane loaded with fuel last month. The pilots have been identified as 68-year-old Anchorage resident John Sliwinski and 63-year-old Harry Secoy of Palmer.

According to the Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Office, the identification was made this week, as announced in an update by the troopers on Thursday.

John Sliwinski, the owner of Alaska Air Fuel, based in Wasilla, operated the plane that provided fuel deliveries to remote communities. He was remembered at a memorial service as a dedicated aviator, family man, and active member of the Anchorage Grace Church community.

Harry Secoy, who worked as an attorney in Washington state for around 20 years, was a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot. In his final years, he worked as a DC-4 pilot in Alaska, as stated in his obituary.

The fatal crash occurred shortly after the cargo plane took off from Fairbanks International Airport on the morning of April 23. The plane, carrying approximately 3,400 gallons of unleaded fuel and two 100-gallon propane tanks, was bound for the Northwest Alaska village of Kobuk, a 300-mile flight. The preliminary federal report revealed that the DC-4 crashed into the Tanana River, about 7 miles southwest of the airport, before sliding into a bluff and being engulfed in flames.

Investigators noted that one of the pilots reported an in-flight fire shortly after departure and requested a return to the airport. A witness described hearing an explosion and seeing one of the plane’s engines on fire.

The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into the crash and is expected to release a probable cause report next year.