Alaska Fire Service Aircraft Transport Accident Fatalities 1970

At liftoff at McGrath Airport, the Douglas DC-3 went out of control, collided with trees and crashed in flames. A crew member and four passengers were killed while several others were seriously injured. The aircraft was engaged in a fire control activity between McGrath and Galena when the accident occurred. The cause of the accident was attributed to a loss of attention leading to the retraction of landing gear before the aircraft had fully left the runway. A propeller struck the runway, leading to the loss of control and subsequent collision with trees and post-crash fire. The total number on board is reported as 27: 25 firefighters and 2 flight crew.

The firefighters loss in the accident were Roy Kirk, Cyril James Pete, Edwig Pete, Gregory Pete, and co-pilot Michael Benna.