APRIL 17, 2015
DIBOLL, TEXAS
A Houston man has been flown to a Houston hospital for
injuries he suffered in a twin-engine plane crash on US 59 south of Diboll
Friday morning.
"To see it actually come down and land right
there beside you, it was like, 'Wow," but I've never actually seen
it," said Jared Swenson, a motorist who witnessed the plane crash.
"As I got closer, I realized his propellers weren't spinning."
Officials from FAA are investigating the crash.
DPS had to shut down part of the northbound lane, as part of
a wing was on the highway. The scene was cleared by 4:15 p.m.
According to DPS, the Cessna 421B twin-engine took off from
the Angelina County airport and was on its way to Houston. After takeoff, the
plane experienced some type of mechanical issue and went down into the inside
southbound lane of US 59, then skidded into the grassy median.
"How many times do you see a plane descend, see the
whole process, as the fuselage and the plane actually takes the load, bounces
right next to you, and skids to a stop in the middle of 59? Not very
often," Swenson said.
Swenson said the pilot was both blessed and skilled. He
added that it looked as though the pilot made a decision about where to land as
the plane was going down.
The pilot and his passengers were stunned but coherent when
Swenson approached them. Swenson explained that one passenger kept thanking him
and trying to hand him a business card. He told the man to just lie down.
Swenson said it wasn't like any other drive to the office.
The pilot is Edd Campbell Hendee. He and his two passengers
were taken to a Lufkin hospital for treatment.
According to CHI St. Luke's Memorial Hospital spokeswoman
Yana Ogletree, Hendee was flown to a Houston hospital. He is in stable
condition.
Hendee is the owner of Taste of Texas, a well-known Houston
restaurant.
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Date:
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17-APR-2015
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Time:
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07:47 a.m.
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Type:
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Owner/operator:
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Private
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Registration:
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N421PK
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C/n / msn:
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421B0830
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Fatalities:
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Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
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Other fatalities:
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0
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Airplane damage:
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Substantial
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Location:
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half-mile south of Diboll -
United States of America |
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Phase:
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En route
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Nature:
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Private
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Departure airport:
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Angelina County airport
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Destination airport:
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Houston
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Narrative:
After takeoff, the plane developed a mechanical issue. The pilot landed the
plane besides a highway.
The three occupants were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=175479