RHOME, Texas (AP) — The pilot of a small plane was killed and his three passengers, two of them children, were injured when the single-engine aircraft crashed on takeoff from a rural North Texas airfield.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says the Cessna 172 aircraft was taking off around 7:30 p.m. Thursday from the Rhome Meadows Airport, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Fort Worth.
The DPS said the pilot was killed outright, while an adult male passenger and a child were airlifted to Fort Worth hospitals with severe injuries. Another child was taken to a Fort Worth hospital by ambulance. Their identities and conditions are unknown.
The cause of the crash remains unclear, and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.