The plane crashed near West Houston Airport. From Air 11, we could see the plane’s wreckage and a fire still burning.
HOUSTON — A pilot is back home after somehow surviving a fiery plane crash Friday in west Houston.
The small plane went down in the Addicks Reservoir shortly after taking off from West Houston Airport, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Authorities say the plane’s engine failed just moments into the flight, sending it crashing into a wooded area where it caught fire.
Aerial footage shows the badly burned wreckage still smoldering after the crash. Despite the fiery scene, the pilot managed to escape on his own and was later taken to the hospital as a precaution.
He returned home just after Friday night. HPD officers were seen dropping him off. The pilot was walking on his own but didn’t want to to talk in detail about the crash.
Nearby workers told KHOU 11 they heard the impact and saw smoke rising from the trees. The pilot reportedly told officers he doesn’t know exactly what caused the engine to fail.
HPD is now securing the area as federal investigators take over the case to determine what caused the crash.
No one else was on board the aircraft, and no injuries on the ground were reported.