US` National Bird killed four - Curt Lewis

Eagle hit Alaska plane before crash that killed 4

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - A small airplane hit a bald eagle before it crashed and burst into flames just north of Anchorage last month, killing all four people on board, authorities said Wednesday.

It is the nation's first civilian plane crash to result in deaths after an impact with a bald eagle, said Shaun Williams, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator. There have been other crashes involving eagle strikes that resulted in serious injuries, he said.