Two people were killed on Sunday afternoon after a small plane crashed near Hicks Airfield, north of Fort Worth, Texas, the NYT reported. According to the authorities, the plane crashed into several trailers and campers, setting them and a nearby building on fire before bursting into flames itself.
The deadly incident occurred around 1:30 pm in a business complex surrounded by small workshops and suburban homes. Multiple emergency agencies, including the Fort Worth Fire Department, arrived at the scene as thick plumes of black smoke filled the sky.
Plane crashes into semitrailers near Fort Worth
Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson Craig Trojacek said crews at first thought they were dealing with two separate emergencies, one with vehicles on fire and another involving a building, before realising it was actually one major incident. “The plane came down in a parking lot where eighteen-wheelers and campers were being stored,” Trojacek said. “Some of those vehicles caught fire, as did a nearby building.” He confirmed that two people were found dead at the scene, though their identities have not been released.
Surveillance footage obtained by local station WFAA has surfaced online. It shows the Beech King Air C90 crashing nose-first, skidding across the pavement, and hitting an 18-wheeler and several trailers. The force sent the aircraft vertical before it was engulfed in flame.
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Fort Worth, Haslet, and Saginaw Fire Departments are responding to a plane crash in the 12700 block of N. Saginaw Blvd, just north of Hicks Airfield, Texas.
The incident involves multiple tractor-trailers engulfed in flames, producing heavy black smoke. pic.twitter.com/6bayrfWvaa
The crash comes just a day after a helicopter crashed in California’s Huntington Beach during preparations for an auto and aircraft event. Five people, including a child, were hospitalised. The pilot, Eric Nixon, sustained multiple injuries, including broken ribs and crushed vertebrae.
According to the bystanders, they witnessed a “huge ball of fire and smoke” rise from the wreckage. “You honestly couldn’t even tell a plane was inside that fire,” said Gregory Delano, 20, who was at a nearby pool hall when someone ran in shouting that a plane had crashed.
Delano said he and a friend jumped a fence and rushed toward the smoke. “It was chaos,” he said. “The flames were so intense that you couldn’t get close.”
Lauren Anderson, a cashier at a nearby animal feed store, said she looked outside after hearing a loud noise. “There was a giant black cloud of smoke, easily a hundred feet wide,” she said. “For 20 to 30 minutes, it was just nonstop emergency vehicles.”
FAA and NTSB launch investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed they are investigating the crash of the twin-engine Beech King Air C90. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is conducting its own review.
Robbie Hoy, a spokesperson for the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, said federal investigators are investigating the reason behind the crash. It’s unclear where the flight originated or where it was heading. However, a representative for Hicks Airfield, Lois Kinman, said the plane was not based at the private airport.
Authorities have temporarily closed the US Route 287 Business in both directions near the site. By late afternoon, officials confirmed that the fire had been contained.