The pilot identified as Charles Hancock, 61, died in the crash. The NTSB investigator Cathy Gagne confirmed that he was the only person aboard the aircraft and had made contact with the Merrill Field tower before the plane crashed.

The police and Anchorage fire department responded to the scene.

According to eye witnesses, the plane was airborne before it crashed nose-down.

All runways at the airport were closed following the crash. They were later re-opened after removing the plane by 11 a.m.

Hancock was the owner and operator of a urethane insulation contractor, AIC Foam and Coatings.

The post Plane Crash at Anchorage’s Merrill Field Airport Kills Pilot first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.