MCKINNEY, TEXAS -- Three people are dead after two small planes collided mid-air over McKinney Saturday.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the crash happened near Aero Country Airport, in the 500 block of North Custer Road near Virginia, just after 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
"Both aircraft were flying under Visual Flight Rules and were not in contact with air traffic control at the time of the collision," Lynn Lunsford with the FAA said. McKinney police described the scene as "widespread".
Bloemker tells WFAA he was driving north on Custer Road when he saw the two planes collide. One of them came down spiraling nose-first, he said. He said the planes were flying low to the ground, and they crashed in a very populated area. Witnesses say one of the planes crashed in the parking lot of a Home Depot.
Wreckage of a small plane from a mid-air collision over McKinney on Saturday.
By 6 p.m. the fire from the plane in the video had been put out by crews, Bloemker said.
Plane crash in McKinney, Custer X Virginia pic.twitter.com/397MIg4hig— 12 years of wave (@_ktbm) December 31, 2016
Police are asking people to stay away from Custer and Virginia as they investigate. The FAA is on scene investigating and is coordinating with the National Transportation Safety Board. %
Check back for more on this developing story.
Date:
31-DEC-2016
Time: 17:30+
Type:
Piper PA-28R
Owner/operator:
Registration:
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 2
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Collin County, McKinney, TX -
United States of America Phase: Unknown
Nature: Unknown
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Narrative:
The aircraft experienced a mid-air collision with another aircraft and subsequent impact with asphalt terrain east of the Aero Country Airport (T31), in McKinney, Texas. The airplane was partially consumed by the post-impact fire. There were three reported fatalities among the two aircraft.
Sources:
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/collin-county/plane-crash-reported-in-mckinney/380987179
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/Mid-Air-Plane-Collision-Kills-At-Least-One-Near-McKinney-409033435.html
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/collin-county/2016/12/31/least-one-likely-dead-small-plane-collision-mckinney
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb_QQCq_yuA
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.2067149,-96.7290339,19z/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en-us