What to Know
- The aircraft was departing Houston Executive Airport Tuesday morning at about 10 a.m. and was unable to gain altitude.
- The plane left the runway, crashed through a fence, and crossed Morton Road before stopping in a pasture north of the airport.
- All 21 people on board were able to get off the aircraft without serious injury before fire consumed the plane.
Nearly two dozen people escaped serious injury when a large jet crashed while attempting to take off from Houston Executive Airport Tuesday.
According to KPRC-TV in Houston, the FAA said an MD-87 destined for Boston departed at about 10:08 a.m. and was unable to get off the ground. It was chartered to Boston for Game 4 of the American League Champion Series, KPRC reports.
The large plane rolled through an airport fence before crossing Morton Road north of the airport. It came to rest among dense brush in a pasture where it then caught fire.
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Officials said all 21 people on board, including 18 passengers and three crew members, were able to exit the aircraft on their own without suffering serious injury. Sgt. Stephen Woodard with the Texas Department of Public Safety said the youngest on board was a 10-year-old child.
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"They extracted themselves, they’re off. No one is deceased. Man, that is an awesome feeling right now for us as first responders," Woodard said Tuesday.
Two passengers were transported to nearby hospitals after reporting back pain and respiratory issues after the crash. It's not clear if the injured were passengers or crew.
Video from KPRC-TV's helicopter showed the plane on fire with most of the fuselage having been consumed by fire. The tail section and two engines were all that remained after the fire was extinguished.
Further details about the cause of the crash have not yet been revealed. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.
Chief Tim Gibson, director of Waller-Harris Emergency Services, said it took several service providers to extinguish the fire Tuesday. The plane was fully engulfed by the time crews arrived, Gibson said.
"Anytime you have a plane that isn't on the runway like it should be, you expect the worst but hope for the best," he said. "Today we got the best outcome we could hope for in this instance."
Federal records show the plane belongs to 987 Investments, LLC. The NBC affiliate in Houston reports the owner of the company, home builder James Kent, was onboard at the time. It is unclear who was flying at the time of the crash.
Houston Executive Airport is west of Houston, between Katy and Brookshire, north of Interstate 10.
In a statement Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation, according to the FAA.
