Four die in USAF C-17 crash

A file image of a C-17 departing Elmendorf AFB. (USAF)

A USAF C-17 crashed near Elmendorf AFB in Alaska on July 28 with the loss of all four crewmembers.

The aircraft, from the 3rd Wing Alaska Air National Guard based at Elmendorf, was reportedly practicing a demonstration routine for an upcoming airshow, and plummeted into a forest adjacent to the base.

“Our deepest sympathy and sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of those Airmen killed in this crash,” said Col John McMullen, the 3rd Wing commander. “Yesterday, we lost four members of our Arctic Warrior family, and it’s a loss felt across our entire joint installation. Right now, our immediate focus is on providing all possible support to the loved ones of our fallen aviators. We are also engaged in a deliberate investigative process.”

The crash is the first major accident of a C-17 resulting in a crew or passenger death since the type entered service in 1994.