Plane goes down in South San Antonio, killing one and leaving at least two injured
UPDATE 7/31/20: Simon Willett, 56, has been identified as the person killed in this plane crash.
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SAN ANTONIO - A small aircraft crashed on the South Side, injuring at least two people and killing one.
"He hit the ground and the gas tanks exploded," said Robert Brieno, one of the neighbors who saw the plane crash.
According to the San Antonio Fire Department, the small plane crash in the 9400 block of Espada Rd., not far from Stinson Airport.
"After the explosion, of course, I saw black smoke," Brieno said.
The FAA said the plane crashed after taking off from the airport and burned on impact.
"From what I'm told the plane was heavy with passengers and basically there was a strong wind," said Sgt. Ralph Salazar with the San Antonio Police Department.
The plane, a Piper PA-28, had three people on it, one died and two are severely burned.
Brieno said he and another neighbor poured water on the two men as they waited for first responders to arrive.
"They were really seriously burned. They were really really burnt," Brieno said.
Woody Woodward with SAFD said the plane went down and appeared to clip some trees in the area before landing behind a home. There was a fire on the plane, which did end up spreading to a structure but was quickly put out.
"They're pulling flight records trying to determine where the flight was headed," Woodward said.
This is a developing story.
