AIR CRASH RESCUE NEWS:
November 20, 2003 - Plane Crash Reported, Two Fatalities Confirmed
HOUSTON, Texas (USA) - Two people were killed when one of two airplanes practicing dogfighting maneuvers crashed just west of Lake Conroe on Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration said. FAA spokesman John Clabes said the second of the T-34 aircrafts returned to the ground safely after the 10:20 a.m..
The airplanes are owned by Texas Air Aces, Inc., a private Houston organization that employs former combat pilots who teach aerobatics, formation flight and dogfighting. The business also sells rides on mock combat flights. A man who answered the phone at Texas Air Aces confirmed the two planes were affiliated with the organization, but declined to comment or identify himself.
Witnesses told Texas Department of Public Safety troopers that the two airplanes were doing dogfight maneuvers over the lake when the wing of the plane that crashed appeared to fall off or be clipped, and it crashed in a pasture, according to Trooper Bob Kerns in Montgomery County.
Further details were immediately unavailable as troopers continued investigating the crash. Clabes said investigators from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were en route.
