New Footage Shows Possible Explosion Before Cargo Plane Crashes In Fairbanks 

New footage has emerged on X of what appears to be a possible explosion moments before the Douglas C-54 Skymaster cargo plane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks, Alaska, on Tuesday evening. 

AP News said the Douglas C-54, a variant of the DC-4 airliner, crashed about 7 miles from Fairbanks International Airport. 

Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska regional office, said the cause of the C-54’s crash remained unknown, and an investigation is being launched.  

Pilot Michaela Matherne, who was en route from the village of Galena to Fairbanks at the time of the incident, recounted, “When we were in the air there was speculation that it was a cabin that caught fire.” 

X user Rawsalerts posted land-based security footage of what appears to show a catastrophic failure that brought down the World War II-era cargo plane.

🚨#BREAKING: New Security footage has captured the moment when a Douglas C-54D-DC Skymaster, plane operated by Alaska Air Fuel, crashed soon after takeoff from Fairbanks International Airport in Alaska. Both pilots were killed and the aircraft was destroyed pic.twitter.com/t1MQd3wgB9

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 24, 2024

We don’t want to speculate too much about that failure because an NTSB investigation has yet to be completed, but the video above appears to show an explosion, possibly occurring in one of the engines. 

Here’s what X users are saying:

This is incredible footage to have. Such a remote location, and a camera placed looking at JUST the right location. Wow.

— Ankush sharma (@Aku_700) April 24, 2024

Definitely a left engine failure. Could have been a bird strike, especially at that altitude. Sucks regardless.

— James | Modern Outdoorsman (@Rugged_James) April 24, 2024

Looks like an explosion

— Big John Studd II (@bjstudd07041776) April 24, 2024

What happened to the engine?
Wonder how it exploded? pic.twitter.com/jRxOCJQRe1

— Mahalo (@mahalojo) April 24, 2024

Next question: What caused the explosion?