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Small plane crashes into Austin building
By TERRI LANGFORD and GARY SCHARRER HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Feb. 18, 2010, 11:48AM
AUSTIN — Authorities say a small private plane has crashed into a seven-story office building in Austin, leaving one person inside unaccounted for.
A person close to the investigation said the home of the suspected pilot, whose name was not released, burned down Wednesday night. The Cirrus SR22 took off from Georgetown at 9:40 a.m. today and struck the building at 9430 Research Boulevard in northwest Austin minutes later, federal officials said.
CNN, quoting a federal official it did not name, reported the plane was stolen.
The structure that was hit houses private firms and government offices, including the Internal Revenue Services' criminal investigation unit. The FBI is not a tenant, contrary to some initial reports.
Black smoke was coming from the second and third stories of the the building at midday as fire crews using ladder trucks and hoses battled the fire. Austin Assistant Fire Chief Harry Evans said it appeared the plane struck the second floor.
Police said two people were hospitalized and one was unaccounted for from the building. The conditions of the injured people were not immediately available.
Evans said no deaths from inside the building were confirmed and the firefighting efforts continued as of 11:45 a.m.
Police said there were several street closures and power outages in the area.
The Austin American-Statesman reported that eyewitnesses said the plane appeared to strike the Echelon 1 building at full throttle.
Peggy Walker, an IRS revenue officer who works in the building said she was sitting at her desk when the plane crashed.
“It felt like a bomb blew off. The ceiling caved in and windows blew in. We got up and ran,” she said.
Matt Farney, 39, who was in the parking lot of a nearby Home Depot, said he saw a low-flying private plane near some apartments and the office building just before it crashed.
“I figured he was going to buzz the apartments or he was showing off,” Farney said, adding that the plane dipped down. “It was a ball of flames that was high or higher than the apartments. It was surreal. It was insane. ... It didn’t look like he was out of control or anything.”
Chris Messer told the newspaper he was driving to work shortly before 10 a.m. when the small yellow plane flew in front of him and into the structure.
“The fireball was pretty big. It shook my car and the heat came in from my air vents. I was surprised how big the explosion is,” said Messner, 27.
Messner said the explosion was “as wide as the entire building.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
By TERRI LANGFORD and GARY SCHARRER HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Feb. 18, 2010, 11:48AM
AUSTIN — Authorities say a small private plane has crashed into a seven-story office building in Austin, leaving one person inside unaccounted for.
A person close to the investigation said the home of the suspected pilot, whose name was not released, burned down Wednesday night. The Cirrus SR22 took off from Georgetown at 9:40 a.m. today and struck the building at 9430 Research Boulevard in northwest Austin minutes later, federal officials said.
CNN, quoting a federal official it did not name, reported the plane was stolen.
The structure that was hit houses private firms and government offices, including the Internal Revenue Services' criminal investigation unit. The FBI is not a tenant, contrary to some initial reports.
Black smoke was coming from the second and third stories of the the building at midday as fire crews using ladder trucks and hoses battled the fire. Austin Assistant Fire Chief Harry Evans said it appeared the plane struck the second floor.
Police said two people were hospitalized and one was unaccounted for from the building. The conditions of the injured people were not immediately available.
Evans said no deaths from inside the building were confirmed and the firefighting efforts continued as of 11:45 a.m.
Police said there were several street closures and power outages in the area.
The Austin American-Statesman reported that eyewitnesses said the plane appeared to strike the Echelon 1 building at full throttle.
Peggy Walker, an IRS revenue officer who works in the building said she was sitting at her desk when the plane crashed.
“It felt like a bomb blew off. The ceiling caved in and windows blew in. We got up and ran,” she said.
Matt Farney, 39, who was in the parking lot of a nearby Home Depot, said he saw a low-flying private plane near some apartments and the office building just before it crashed.
“I figured he was going to buzz the apartments or he was showing off,” Farney said, adding that the plane dipped down. “It was a ball of flames that was high or higher than the apartments. It was surreal. It was insane. ... It didn’t look like he was out of control or anything.”
Chris Messer told the newspaper he was driving to work shortly before 10 a.m. when the small yellow plane flew in front of him and into the structure.
“The fireball was pretty big. It shook my car and the heat came in from my air vents. I was surprised how big the explosion is,” said Messner, 27.
Messner said the explosion was “as wide as the entire building.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
