A Cessna 172 crashed as it attempted to take off from Fairbanks International Airport on Thursday afternoon, killing one and injuring two others.

All three occupants of the aircraft were transported to the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital after the accident, none of the names of the accident victims have been released. One of the victims was pronounced deceased at the hospital.

The aircraft crashed on take-off and nosed into a ditch at the south end of Taxiway C approximately a thousand feet from the runway. emergency personnel had to cut through the fence at the boundry to access the victims.

The main runway at the airport was closed for just under a half-hour after the accident, the frontage road near the accident scene will be closed until the security fence there can be repaired.

National Transportation Safety Board invstigators acccessed the scene shortly after the crash and are currently investigating the cause of the crash.