Four killed in small plane crash at Kansas airport

By
AFP
|
Four killed in small plane crash at Kansas airport
WASHINGTON: At least four people were killed and five more hurt Thursday when a small plane crashed into an airport training building housing flight simulators in the US state of Kansas.

The twin-engine aircraft lost engine power shortly after takeoff and crashed while attempting to return to the runway at the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Five people were taken to the hospital with "serious" injuries and rescue crews are still searching for four people who were inside the building, city officials said in a statement.

The plane struck a flight simulator area of the building which houses the local base of training company FlightSafety International.

People were doing safety training on the simulator when the plane struck and there were around 100 people in the building, police told AFP.

The building has been evacuated, Doug Nolte from the Wichita police department, said but "there´s is still about five percent that is unable to be gotten to."

One person was aboard the Beechcraft King Air 200 series aircraft, the airport said in a Twitter update.

The airport said the safety instruction building struck sustained "serious damage, including the collapse of walls and ceilings."

The plane hit the top of the building and the crash caused a large fire that took firefighters hours to control. The airport remains open and some flights were delayed. (AFP)