Military plane crashes in Texas, damaging homes, causing injuries

A military plane crashed in a Texas residential neighborhood on Sunday morning, resulting in at least one person being taken to a hospital in critical condition and multiple homes being damaged.

The cause of the crash during a training exercise is unknown, according to a statement from the Pentagon. The pilots self-ejected and are receiving treatment. 

Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian said during a press conference on Sunday that authorities there responded to a call about the downed plane around 10:53 a.m. One of the pilots of the plane was tangled up in power lines after he was ejected from the plane.

Manoushagian said multiple military officials were at the scene of the crash.

In a statement to The Hill, the Pentagon said, “The two occupants ejected from the aircraft. 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.”

“The incident is under investigation,” it added. “The pilots were conducting a routine training flight that originated from Corpus Christi International Airport. The cause of the crash is unknown. The safety team is en-route for damage assessment.”

BREAKING: A small military plane crashed into the back yard of a house in Lake Worth. Crew ejected. One burned by power lines. Second landed in tree. Woman in house OK. pic.twitter.com/a2rqq4PwEs

— ScottGordonNBC5 (@ScottGordonNBC5) September 19, 2021

According to Lake Worth Fire Chief Ryan Arthur, none of the residents in the neighborhood where the plane crashed were injured. No hospitals or schools are believed to have been affected by the crash.

The three homes affected by the crash were not severely damaged, though Arthur noted that the damage was enough that the residents were relocated and have been provided assistance by the American Red Cross. The plane crashed in the backyard of one of the homes, causing a “little bit of damage” to all three residences, he added.

“This incident could have been — could have been much worse, knowing that this plane went down in a residential area in Lake Worth,” said Arthur.

BREAKING VIDEO 2 people were ejected from the military plane that crashed in a residential area in Lake Worth, Texas

Updates: https://t.co/LL9Z9HRhv8 pic.twitter.com/RjnBODw8f4

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) September 19, 2021

Arthur also noted that due to Lake Worth’s proximity to a military base, local emergency authorities do practice drills for possible plane crashes. He also confirmed that the two pilots in the plane self-ejected.

“I am not a pilot, but I am a veteran, along with Chief Arthur and many others in the room, and I would imagine that for a pilot, this is the day that you dread and you hope never comes,” said Manoushagian. “And so for them and their family to experience that worst day, we just want them to know, their families to know, that our thoughts and prayers are with them.”

Residents who find any debris from the plane crash have been asked to not touch it and to leave it be, as it may help in determining what caused the crash. Manoushagian said that residents who do find any debris should call the Lake Worth Police Department’s nonemergency line at 817-237-1224.