FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane carrying two people crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday and burst into flames, authorities said. No survivors have been found.
The plane took off in the morning from Fairbanks International Airport. It crashed about 7 miles (11 kilometers) from there and “slid into a steep hill on the bank of the river where it caught fire,” according to Alaska State Troopers.
Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska regional office, said it remained unclear what happened in the time between the takeoff and the crash but the tower operator “saw a large plume of smoke.”
Michaela Matherne was flying from the village of Galena to Fairbanks to catch a flight to New Orleans when her small plane was diverted to verify the coordinates of the crash site.
“When we were in the air there was speculation that it was a cabin that caught fire, maybe a fish camp,” she told The Associated Press via Facebook Messenger.
“We actually didn’t know what we were looking at until after we landed a few minutes later,” she said. “We were shocked and saddened to hear that.”
The C-54 is a military version of the Douglas DC-4, which was a World War II-era airplane. The website www.airlines.net said standard passenger seating for a DC-4 was 44 during its heyday, but most have been converted to freighters.
The Federal Aviation Administration described the plane as a Douglas C-54. Troopers identified it as a DC-4.
The NTSB was sending investigators to the site, Johnson said.
Further information such as the flight's purpose and destination was not immediately available.
A fire burns after a Douglas C-54 Skymaster plane crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Alaska State Troopers via AP)
A twin-engine plane crashed outside Fairbanks Tuesday. (AP Graphic)
A fire burns after a Douglas C-54 Skymaster crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Michaela Matherne via AP)
A fire burns after a Douglas C-54 Skymaster crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Michaela Matherne via AP)
HEIDELBERG, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 1, 2025--
SATO Europe GmbH announces the official launch of AEP Cloud, a powerful, cloud-based aPaaS 1 solution designed to revolutionize labelling and identification processes within SATO’s strategic positioning as a provider of "Perfect and Unique Tagging.” With a robust set of features tailored for seamless implementation, AEP Cloud helps businesses simplify complex workflows, boost operational accuracy and achieve new levels of efficiency.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250331068816/en/
Perfect and unique tagging is a key driver of the SATO Group’s 2024-2028 medium term management plan. By uniquely identifying items, SATO seeks to further automate identification processes for inventory tracking without manual scans and reads.
In today's fast-paced, data-driven world, businesses face increasing challenges managing intricate labelling processes while navigating regulatory complexity and addressing new compliance standards such as the Digital Product Passport (DPP). AEP Cloud addresses these needs directly, providing an innovative, no-code solution that can be swiftly implemented without extensive technical resources or disruptions to current IT infrastructure.
AEP Cloud’s unique benefits include its simplicity, speed of deployment, and holistic approach to process management around labelling and identification. Unlike traditional labelling solutions, AEP Cloud’s flexibility and scalability allow businesses of all sizes to effortlessly adapt and expand their tagging and labelling capabilities in line with evolving regulatory demands and market dynamics.
The platform introduces several advanced features to enhance operational control and efficiency:
Businesses implementing AEP Cloud can seamlessly integrate it with their existing ERP 2 and WMS 3 via a standardized API, ensuring data consistency and maximizing the value of their current technological investments.
To further accelerate adoption and demonstrate the value of AEP Cloud, SATO Europe has introduced a transparent subscription model featuring a flexible freemium option. As an additional benefit, the first ten customers adopting the solution will receive an exclusive 20% discount on monthly subscription fees for the first year.
Laurent Lassus, Managing Director of SATO Europe, emphasized the importance of this launch, stating, "AEP Cloud is built to tackle the real-world pain points our customers face every day—complex integration, operational inefficiencies, and evolving compliance demands. This solution platform enables businesses to achieve immediate improvements in accuracy, efficiency, and cost management, establishing a foundation for sustainable, long-term growth."
By placing customer-centric innovation at the forefront, SATO Europe continues to affirm its commitment to industry leadership and technological advancement, delivering robust, intuitive solutions that directly address market challenges.
To experience AEP Cloud firsthand, businesses are encouraged to contact SATO Europe for demonstrations, personalized consultations, and detailed information on subscription packages.
About SATO Europe
SATO Europe is a global leader providing innovative auto-ID and labelling solutions, driving operational efficiency, accuracy, and sustainability. With decades of experience, SATO Europe helps businesses across various industries streamline processes, ensure compliance, and enhance overall performance.
About SATO
SATO (TOKYO:6287) designs and manufactures hardware, labels and tags and develops software to integrate with third party offerings as automatic identification solutions. These solutions streamline workflows, enabling data capture and visualization for a connected world of productivity, safety, reassurance and sustainability. By giving things a digital identity, SATO helps businesses in retail, manufacturing, food, health care and transport & logistics run smoothly. Founded in 1940, SATO has a presence in 26 countries with a workforce of over 5,700. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, it reported revenues of 143,446 million yen ($992 million*)
More information about SATO can be found at www.sato-global.com.
*Based on an average exchange rate of 1 USD = 144.58 JPY
SATO Europe Unveils No-code Application Platform
