A small plane crashed and caught fire near Houston high school Thursday afternoon, killing the pilot.
Troopers say 23-year-old Joe Mielke, of Big Lake, was the only person on board the small plane when it went down.
Ken Barkley, Deputy Director of emergency services for the Matanuska Susitna Borough stated a witness reported seeing the crash of the Cessna 150 at 1:45 pm.
Firefighters responded to find the plane completely engulfed in flames.
Megan Peters with the Alaska State Troopers said friends and family on scene identified the pilot.
