Two people have survived a fiery crash after their plane went down shortly after takeoff from Spinks Airport Wednesday morning.
A spokesperson for the FAA said a twin-engine Cessna 421B crashed south of the runway shortly after departing the south Fort Worth airport.
The pilot/owner of the aircraft, John Campbell, and another man, were able to walk away from the crash and were spotted walking down a dirt road by emergency responders.
Both men suffered burns and other injuries, but were alert and aware of what had occurred. They were transported by CareFlite to Parkland Hospital in Dallas for treatment. At the request of the Campbell family, further details about his condition have not been released.
The name of the passenger has not been released.
The plane came down in a wooded area several hundred yards from the runway, sparking a small brushfire that was quickly contained by firefighters from Burleson, Cleburne and the Fort Worth fire departments.
Tim Hardeman, spokesperson for the Fort Worth Fire Department, described the crash as catastrophic.
"The plane’s totally destroyed. It burned upon impact and the gentlemen were able to walk away so, in that, they were very fortunate," said Hardeman.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. Fort Worth city spokesperson Bill Begley said a report at the scene said someone radioed before the crash that a door had opened.
Wednesday's crash isn't the first Campbell has walked away from. Vicki Anderson, who was hired by Campbell at his auto body shop in 1998, said he also walked away from a crash in another plane after losing power.
"The engine kinda went out and he landed it down into a corn field. He was with his dad and they just walked out with scrapes then," Anderson said.
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Anderson, who helped Campbell restore the aircraft that crashed Wednesday, said she is concerned about how he and his family are doing after the most recent incident.
“Very relieved, but I’m still concerned,” said Anderson. “Concerned for his family and how they’re doing and make sure he’s still okay.”
Spinks Airport is a general aviation airport located near Interstate 35W and Alsbury Boulevard. After the crash, inbound and outbound air traffic, as well as nearby road traffic, was stopped for a short time.
NBC 5's Mark Schnyder and Keaton Fox contributed to this report.
