What to Know
- A twin-engine Cessna 414A crashed shortly after departing McKinney National Airport Thursday morning.
- Two people on board were killed, including the pilot. A third person remains hospitalized.
- The NTSB is investigating the crash and expects a preliminary crash report to be available within 30 days.
A small plane with three people on board crashed near the McKinney National Airport Thursday morning, killing two people on board and injuring a third, officials say.
City officials told NBC 5 that the aircraft departed McKinney National at 10:22 a.m. and appeared to crash moments later near County Road 317, southeast of the airport.
Video from Texas Sky Ranger showed the broken plane upside down in a large mound of what appears to be rocky fill dirt with pieces of the aircraft scattered over the pile.
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The FAA confirmed to NBC 5 Thursday morning that three people were on board.
The Texas DPS identified the two people killed in the crash as 67-year-old pilot Michael Lewis of Forney and 53-year-old Gustavo Moreno of Royse City. The crash survivor, identified by family Friday to NBC 5 as Randy Williams, was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas in critical condition.
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According to FAA records, the plane was a 1980 twin-engine Cessna 414A owned by Hunger Relief Ministries in Forney. The plane was destroyed after crashing about 3,500 feet southeast of the north-south runway on land used by a company that provides fill dirt and concrete recycling.
A person who said he was working near the site and witnessed the crash shared a video with NBC 5 showing work crews rushing toward the crashed plane and using a water truck to try to put out the flames.
NTSB BEGINS PROBE INTO MCKINNEY PLANE CRASH
Police said the investigation into the crash is in the preliminary stages and will be transferred to federal agencies. The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that an investigator was sent to the crash Friday and that a preliminary report on the cause of the crash will be available within 30 days.
"Once on site, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft," the NTSB said in a statement. "The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation."
According to the NTSB, the investigation will involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment. During the investigation, NTSB officials said they will gather the following information and records:
- Flight track data
- Recordings of any air traffic control communications
- Aircraft maintenance records
- Weather forecasts and actual weather and lighting conditions around the time of the accident
- Pilot’s license, ratings and recency of flight experience
- 72-hour background of the pilot to determine if there were any issues that could have affected the pilot’s ability to safety operate the flight
- Witness statements
- Electronic devices that could contain information relevant to the investigation
- Any available surveillance video, including from doorbell cameras
Anyone who witnessed the accident or those who have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation is asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
