U.S. Air Force cargo plane crashes in Alaska

Alaska (Reuters) - An Air Force cargo plane flying a training mission crashed in flames on Wednesday evening at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, but military officials gave no immediate word on the fate of the four crew members.

The cargo aircraft, a C-17 Globemaster, was assigned to the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf, a unit consisting of 6,000 Air Force personnel who fly fighter jets and other military aircraft.

The plane crashed at 6:14 p.m. local time in a wooded area near the runway. A smoky plume over the area was visible to nearby residents.

"I saw it from my home. It looked like it was about one mile north of the east-west runway," said Lt. Dave Parker of the Anchorage Police Department.

A statement released by the joint command at Elmendorf and the nearby Fort Richardson Army Base within hours of the crash said four crew members were aboard the plane, but "there condition is unknown at this time."

But Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell and U.S. Sen. Mark Begich each released statements Wednesday night saying they were saddened by news of the accident and offering condolences to the crew's families.

A board of military officers will investigate the accident, the statement said. Emergency responders were at the scene Wednesday night.

Elmendorf's worst air crash was in September 1995, when several geese were sucked into the engine of an AWACS plane just after takeoff. That plane was on a training mission as well. All 24 crew members perished.