At least two killed in small-aircraft crash near Johnson County airport
At least two people were killed Tuesday afternoon in a fiery plane crash just outside the Johnson County Executive Airport in the 15600 block of Parkhill in Overland Park according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Overland Park and Olathe police and fire personnel were dispatched to the area just after 4 p.m. because a single-engine passenger aircraft crashed shortly after take off.
It is unknown what caused the crash or where the plane, a Mooney M205, was headed, according to Kansas Highway Patrol trooper Gustavo Ramirez.
The exact numbers of fatalities, Ramirez said, is unknown. He said there did not appear to be any survivors.
The four-to- six-passenger plane was on fire when first responders arrived. Two are dead.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced on Twitter Tuesday night that the agency is investigating the crash.
The plane crashed just over the treeline of the airport just past the line between Olathe and Overland Park. The Olathe Fire Department was the first to arrive at the scene.
“When you see the scene it’s very tragic looking. More than likely they were thinking recovery at the first glance,” said Capt. Mike Hall, with the Olathe Fire Department.
Crews at the scene extinguished the fire within 15 to 20 minutes, Hall said.
Deputy airport director Larry Peete said small planes often have no black box to collect information explaining the crash. The plane, he said, had not submitted a flight plan before leaving the airport. The plan is not required for all flights.
He said the airport would remain closed to everything but helicopter traffic for one to two days as the crash is investigated.
In his five years working on the airport commission, Peete said, he’d never seen a crash like this one.
Overland Park, Olathe, and statewide agencies remained at the crash Tuesday night. Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were on their way, Peete said.
“Right now the challenges are just the darkness, and it’s cold and New Year’s Eve,” Peete said. “The NTSB and the FAA, they’re well trained and well qualified to do this.”
The identities of the victims have not yet been released.
This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 5:34 PM.
