Petersburg Pilot -

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — 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.

Remains of the eagle were found on the plane's tail structure, Williams said.

The fire after the crash makes it hard to know...