Ten people were killed on Sunday when a small, twin-engine airplane crashed into a vacant hangar during takeoff at a Dallas-area airport.
No one survived the crash at the Addison Municipal Airport in Addison, about 20 miles north of Dallas, according to city spokeswoman Mary Rosenbleeth. The Federal Aviation Administration says the Beechcraft BE-350 King Air was destroyed in the fiery crash just after 9 a.m. local time.
The plane, which was headed for St. Petersburg, Florida, was taking off at the south end of the airport. It had just lifted off the runway when it veered left, dropped its left wing and went into the hangar, according to Addison fire spokesman Edward Martelle. The resulting fire was quickly extinguished, he said.
David Snell, who was getting ready to fly from the airport with a friend, told KDFW TV that the plane didn’t sound right on takeoff.
“It looked like it was clearly reduced power. I didn’t know if it was on purpose or not, but then, when the plane started to veer to the left, and you could tell it couldn’t climb. My friend and I looked at each other and we’re like, ‘Oh my God. They’re going to crash,’” Snell said.
Peter Drake said he witnessed the plane’s crash into the hangar.
“He got onto the runway, went down the runway, started taking off. He got to about 200 feet, and I saw him starting to lose power and his altitude, and then I see him just roll over and came straight down right into the building,” Drake said.
The Dallas County medical examiner’s office confirmed the deaths, and authorities are still working to notify the families of the victims, Rosenbleeth said.
Source: USA Today
