Four Dead in Air Force Plane Crash

Anchorage, AKA US Air Force cargo plane crash in Alaska killed all four crew members aboard.

The C-17 Globemaster was practicing for an aviation show at Elmendorf Air Force Base when it went down in a wooded area near Anchorage, according to Reuters.

Some eyewitnesses told the news source that the plane was flying low and turning strangely before it crashed.

The Air Force base said in a statement that three of the deceased crew members were members of the Alaska Air National Guard, while the other member was on active duty. Their names are being withheld pending notification of their closest relatives, according to the base.

"We are confirming four dead," Lieutenant-Colonel Karen Platt, an Air Force spokeswoman, told the news provider.

It is believed that this was the first plane crash involving the Boeing-made C-17 Globemaster since it became the Air Force's newest cargo plane in 1995. The massive craft is 174 feet long with a wingspan of nearly 170 feet. It can also carry 170,900 pounds.

Lieutenant General Dana Atkins said at a news conference that the Air Force is still considering whether or not to proceed with the air show.