FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska - A Canadian C-130 aircraft with 18 people on board crashed on Fort Wainwright's runway Jan. 29, 1989.

Seven Canadian Forces soldiers were killed on impact and 11 were injured, five of them seriously. Two of the seriously injured soldiers died later as a result of those injuries.

The soldiers were at Fort Wainwright to participate in Exercise Brim Frost 89, designed to test the ability of Alaska's military to conduct winter operations. It involved more than 26,000 troops from American and Canadian forces, and numerous communications initiatives like satellites, AWACS and electronic intelligence, according to a fact sheet on Exercise Northern Edge history produced at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

The aircraft was the second of three en route from Canadian Forces Base Edmonton en route to Fort Wainwright. The first plane landed safely and the third was diverted to another airport after the crash.

The Canadian forces had been scheduled to participate in a force-on-force phase of the exercise with about 435 paratroopers. After the crash, Canadian officials decided to cancel their participation in the exercise.

The accident report recorded the official temperature at the airfield as 51 degrees below zero, and thick ice fog blanketed the area at the time of the crash. All indications appeared normal as the aircraft neared the airfield, but the plane struck the approach lights and the west side of the riverbank and skidded onto the runway, where it broke apart. Officials conducted an investigation into the accident and concluded the cause was due to pilot error. The report also stated the decreased visibility due to the ice fog was a contributing factor to the accident.

People from Fort Wainwright, Fort Richardson, Fairbanks and Canada all came together to take care of the injured, properly care for the casualties, investigate the incident and handle all the logistical tasks that crop up in a disaster.

Local emergency responders joined Fort Wainwright's responders in getting the injured to medical care. Bassett Army Community Hospital and Fairbanks Memorial Hospital jumped into action to treat the injured.

Local residents from Fairbanks and Fort Wainwright donated blood as soon as the request went out. They sent flowers and compassionate notes of condolence. They offered assistance if needed. French students from the University of Alaska Fairbanks offered translation services.

Soldiers and civilian employees from Fort Wainwright and Fort Richardson worked together to ensure the responders and investigators had all they needed. They fielded telephone calls from the public and the media, American and Canadian. They worked in tandem with Canadian military officials. They coordinated a memorial service here and an official transfer ceremony to return the casualties to Canada.

Temperatures remained around the 50 below zero mark and the ice fog hampered visibility for the following week, but people did what had to be done in the aftermath of the crash.

Next week we mark the 25th anniversary of the crash and the loss of nine of Canada's best. Let us honor the memory of our Canadian comrades. And let us give thanks for the collaborative spirit and cooperative relationship we share with our neighbors -- local and Canadian -- and our cohorts at JBER.

Together we are a formidable team.