A corporate McDonnell Douglas MD-87 crashed near the runway of the Houston Executive Airport Tuesday morning. Fortunately, despite the aircraft having burst into flames, all passengers on board survived. The plane had yet not reached the altitude needed to take flight when it crashed through a fence.
After going through the fence, the plane crossed a road near the airport before stopping in a field, where it erupted into flames. It had traveled no more than 400 feet when it came to a stop. All passengers on board were able to exit the plane on their own while firefighters extinguished the roaring fire. Once the fire was put out, only the plane’s tail and two engines remained.
The aircraft, which was headed to Boston for ALCS game four of Major League Baseball, was carrying 21 passengers, including the two pilots and another crew member. Everyone remained unscathed with only two passengers reporting minor injuries of respiratory problems and back pain.
Sgt. Stephen Woodard of the Texas Department of Public Safety told the local news, “This is a good day. This is actually a day of celebration for a lot of people.”
“They extracted themselves, they’re off,” he said, speaking of the passengers. “No one is deceased. Man, that is an awesome feeling right now for us as first responders.”
Surviving a fiery plane crash is a rare occasion; the outcome of the flight shocked the world. Of the twenty-one individuals who had been on board the flight from Houston Executive Airport, the youngest was just ten years old. The collision caused a nearby power outage, which affected the local community. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating to determine the cause of the crash.
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