UPDATE: Investigation Continues Into Cause Of Military Plane Crash Into Texas Neighborhood
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — The investigation continued Monday morning into how a military plane made a crash landing into a Lake Worth neighborhood on Sunday -- right into people's homes.
The naval jet from Corpus Christi was taking part in a training exercise when it crashed -- just off of Tejas Trail in Lake Worth. Police say it's the first such crash ever seen in the city.
Lake Worth Police Chief JT Manoushagian now says in all, two houses were damaged. That number revised down from three earlier. The families who lived there were quickly rushed out and were uninjured. The two pilots -- a student and his instructor -- were able to eject from the cockpit. Both remained hospitalized Monday.
After ejecting, one of those pilots got caught in powerlines and was shocked and badly burned.
The quick actions of two off-duty firefighters may have saved those pilots' lives. Fort Worth firefighters Mike Dusek and Nathan Graves saw the pilots eject and rushed to help the pilot tangled in the powerlines.
Talking about the pilots Manoushagian said, "I would imagine that for a pilot, this is the day that you dread, that you hope never comes. And so for them and their families who have experienced that worst day, we just want them to know that our thoughts and prayers are with them."
The crash and electrical line contact knocked out power in the area, but crews worked through the night to restore service.
Officials said damage to the homes was considered minor and that the structures weren't impacted to a great extent.
At this point, the cause of the crash is unknown. The Naval Safety Center is investigating.
