A vintage World War II airplane crashed on takeoff at the Burnet Municipal Airport in Texas Saturday morning, but all 13 passengers survived the incident, KVUE-TV reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration wrote that the plane veered off the edge of the runway and caught fire, but the passengers managed to leave it, the television station said. The C-47 called the Bluebonnet Belle was attempting to fly to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for the EAA AirVenture air show, which was expected to start Monday, according to the KVUE-TV.
"His right wing looked like it was within a foot or so off the ground, and then it came back up and went over like this and his left wing touched the ground," Mike Cogburn, who lives behind the airport, told KVUE-TV. He filmed the takeoff, that happened about 9:15 a.m. Saturday, per the television station.
"It hit and he turned 90 degrees to the runway and he slid where they're sitting down there right now. And in a few seconds, you could see the fire started and in a minute they opened the door and the fire was getting bigger and they started jumping out," Cogburn added.
KTXS-TV posted a video of the incident from Matt Gallagher on Twitter.
A representative for the Commemorative Air Force told KTXS-TV that one person was airlifted to a hospital burn unit in San Antonio after suffering "significant burn injuries." Firefighters extinguished fire from the plane and nearby grass.
"We are thankful the aircrew was able to exit the aircraft," Commemorative Air Force president Bob Stenevik told KTXS-TV. "Our hearts go out to them and their families as they recover. Unfortunately, the historic aircraft will not be able to be restored. Our volunteer members work very hard to keep these aircraft flying and it is a loss for the entire organization."
KTBC-TV reported that the aircraft was owned by the Highland Lakes Squadron, the working museum that is dedicated to preserving vintage WWII aircraft and is a branch of the Commemorative Air Force located in Burnet.
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