Military Plane Crashes In Residential Area, 2 Pilots Injured, 3 Homes Hit
LAKE WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) -- A military aircraft crashed into a residential area in Lake Worth Sunday, September 19, seriously injuring two pilots and damaging three homes. Three residents of those homes were treated and released at the scene with minor injuries.
The crash happened between the 4000 blocks of Tejas and Dakota.
Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian said they received the call regarding the downed plane just before 11 a.m. "Initially units reported that one pilot had ejected and was caught in some power lines," said Manoushagian. "Another pilot had ejected and was found in the neighborhood."
Both injured pilots were transported to the hospital, according to Lake Worth Fire Chief Ryan Arthur. One pilot was in critical condition and one was in serious condition, according to Matt Zavadsky with Medstar.
The Fort Worth Police Department later released a statement, saying in part: "We are incredibly fortunate that the plane crashed in the backyards of the homes and not the residences themselves. We are also able to confirm that two off-duty Fort Worth Fire Department firefighters witnessed the crash and responded immediately. They were first on the scene to provide assistance to the injured pilots."
"This incident could have been much worse knowing that this plane went down in a residential area," said Arthur, who was working with all agencies and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) to make sure the scene was processed and documented. Manoushagian said that Fort Worth Police and Fire, Tarrant County Constable's Office, Tarrant County Emergency Management all assisted Lake Worth in response to the crash.
2:30PM- Please see the statement below from #YourFWFD regarding the #LakeWorth aircraft incident. Moving forward, media inquiries should be directed to @lakeworthpd. We are grateful for the teamwork & coordination today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims. #FWFDUpdate pic.twitter.com/sfzH7IiSDq
— Fort Worth Fire Department (@FortWorthFire) September 19, 2021
One witness told CBS 11 that his vehicle was damaged by what appeared to be an ejected pilot seat. He said one of the pilots appeared to be engulfed in flames before hitting power lines.
As of 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, 44 homes in the area were still without power. ONCOR was working on it, but couldn't give an estimated time of restoration.