Two naval pilots were seriously injured Sunday when their training plane crashed in a north Texas community.
The crash took place Sunday morning in Lake Worth, just a few miles north of Fort Worth.
Although three homes had to be evacuated due to damage from debris, no civilians on the ground were injured.
A statement from the Chief of Naval Air Training said the plane that went down was a Navy T-45C Goshawk jet trainer aircraft. The plane was assigned to Training Air Wing 2 at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“The two occupants ejected from the aircraft,” the Navy’s statement said. “The instructor pilot is in stable condition; the student naval aviator’s condition is unknown but he is alive and receiving treatment. Both were transported to medical facilities for evaluation.”
New video shows a column of smoke rising from the crash site of a military training aircraft in Lake Worth, Texas that "heavily damaged" two homes. https://t.co/9uohMTed46 pic.twitter.com/dT96GXMfPt
— ABC News (@ABC) September 19, 2021
The Star-Telegram reported one of the pilots in serious condition and one in critical condition.
“The pilots were conducting a routine training flight that originated from Corpus Christi International Airport,” the statement said. “The cause of the crash is unknown.”
One of the pilots’ parachutes became tangled in power lines, Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian said, according to Click2Houston.com.
The other pilot made it to the ground and was found elsewhere in the neighborhood, he said.
“This incident could have been much worse knowing this plane went down in a residential area here in Lake Worth,” Lake Worth Fire Chief Ryan Arthur said.
Arthur noted that the community, approximately two miles north of Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, practices for possible plane crashes because of its proximity to the base.
Witness Kaitlyn Deramus said she saw the pilots eject and then saw the plane crash, according to KXAS-TV.
“I knew there are old ladies in that house that it happened at and I was banging on their door but they wouldn’t come out because they thought it was just a car, so I grabbed them out,” Deramus said.
“The house behind that, I ran over to the next street and got that lady out of that house because she’s paralyzed and she needed to get out,” she said,
“I’m having anxiety, but all I wanted to do was save those old ladies because I’ve known them since I was really, really, little,” Deramus said. “They’re OK physically.”
PHOTOS: Military plane crash in Lake Worth, TX pic.twitter.com/luBVqohWyj
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) September 19, 2021
Witness Cara Campbell said she saw one pilot hit the power lines.
“While driving, I heard a loud explosion and debris was hitting the car,” Campbell said.
Arthur said despite the damage and injuries, the crash could have been far worse.
“It’s very fortunate that it could have been a lot worse if it had been a direct contact into a residence,” Arthur said. “Fortunately, that’s not the case.”