BURNET COUNTY, Texas — A plane carrying 13 people crashed at the Burnet Municipal Airport Saturday morning.
Mike Cogburn, who lives directly behind the runway, filmed the plane as passengers walked away from the wreckage.
"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," said Cogburn. "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."
The whole incident was caught on camera.
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In a press release sent to KVUE, the Federal Aviation Administration wrote that the plane veered off the edge of the runway and caught fire, but all passengers were able to escape the aircraft. According to the City of Burnet, the cause of the accident is currently unknown.
The C-47, a military version of the DC-3 model, was carrying 13 people when it crashed after attempting to take off around 9:15 a.m. Saturday. The C-47, which is also known as the Bluebonnet Belle, was heading to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where an EAA AirVenture show was set to start Monday.
This specific type of plane is a military cargo plane that was used to transport service members around Europe back during World War II. It was also used more recently during Hurricane Harvey and transported about 25,000 pounds of materials used for relief efforts. In total, the plane flew 75 missions, carried 402 passengers and transported 459 casualties throughout the Normandy battle.
"Those were the aircrafts that carried paratroopers during D-Day in 1944," said Ed Holley, member of the Highland Lake Squadron.
"We were trying to raise funds to take her for the 75-year anniversary, but unfortunately that won't happen now," he said with tears in his eyes.
During a press conference Saturday afternoon, Jim Lasche, vice president of operations and maintenance of the Commemorative Air Force, said two people were hospitalized, one of whom was airlifted to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio with significant burn injuries.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
NTSB officials held a press conference Sunday morning announcing their investigation. To watch the full press conference, watch the video below.
According to Chris Dowell, a staff member with the Highland Lakes Commemorative Air Force, people on board are members of the Highland Lakes Squadron. Three people were pilots, two were mechanics, one was a flight engineer and the rest were family members or guests.
"It's a tragic accident but it's not going to stop our squadron. It's not going to stop Highland Lakes from continuing on in our mission to educate the youth of the country on what the greatest generation went through in the 1940s," said Dowell.
A video appearing to show the burning plane was shared on Facebook by Matt Gallagher.
“We are thankful the aircrew was able to exit the aircraft. Our hearts go out to them and their families as they recover,” said CAF President Bob Stenevik. “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.”