Two people died after a small airplane crashed in a wooded area of west Harris County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety, but it’s not exactly clear when it happened.Wreckage from a Piper Cherokee 140 aircraft was located Thursday in a wooded area south of the Barker Dam near the Katy Freeway, a day after the aircraft had taken off from a nearby airport.
While it wasn’t known what exactly happened, DPS officials said the two male victims were found at the crash site.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
A manager at the West Houston Airport nearby told KHOU the aircraft involved had taken off from its facility just before 8 p.m. Wednesday and didn’t return.
The airport is approximately two miles north of the crash site.
The aircraft’s transponder wasn’t working properly, according to the manager, and airport personnel was not aware the plane had gone missing until the girlfriend of one of the victims came to the airport looking for them on Thursday.
The plane was found a short time later, he said.
The aircraft, a 1967 Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee Cruiser, was registered to a Cincinnati, Ohio, address, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
Piper Cherokee Cruisers typically have four seats and have a maximum weight capacity of 2,150 pounds, according to FAA records.
Source: www.khou.com
