A small, twin-engine plane in Texas crashed into a hangar while trying to take off Sunday morning, causing a fire and killing all 10 people on board, The New York Times reported.
Witnesses said the plane banked sharply left just as it was taking off and crashed into the nearby hangar.
Two crew members and eight passengers were killed. No one else was injured, but a jet and helicopter inside the hangar were damaged when the plane crashed.
The accident occurred in the small town of Addison, Texas, which is located about 15 miles north of Dallas. The plane supposed to fly from Addison to St. Petersburg, Florida, a local Fox affiliate reported.
Ongoing investigations
Yahoo! News reported that the Beechcraft BE-350 King Air had been sold 10 months earlier to EE Operations, a company based in Addison. Neither EE Operations nor the former owner had any comment on the crash.
Although no official report is available, it has been reported that the plane may have lost one of its engines at takeoff. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said that it will investigate the crash and that a report will be available in about two weeks.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also sent investigators to the site. Several videos of the crash are being reviewed, along with forensics from the scene and a voice recording from the cockpit, according to CBS News.
There is no indication that anything about the crash was intentional, although officials are investigating that possibility.
Air traffic control tower audio also did not indicate that the pilot thought there was any problem with the plane, according to reports.
The north Texas airport where the accident occurred is typically used for business travel. Many small planes similar to the one that crashed are reportedly housed there.
A loss for the community
According to Clay Jenkins, a Dallas County judge and the county’s director of homeland security and emergency management, the small Texas community has been rocked by this heartbreaking tragedy.
“It’s a very sad day for a close-knit community,” Jenkins said, according to the Times. “Many people will be grieving, so we’re praying for those folks that lost a loved one.”
The families of the victims are still being identified. Their names have not yet been made public.
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