Man killed after his plane crashes into West Texas TV tower

Man killed after his plane crashes into West Texas TV tower

The crash knocked the TV station off the air and resulted in a power outage in the surrounding neighborhood.

A man has died after a small aircraft he was flying crashed into a TV tower on approach to a West Texas airport.

The crash, which happened late Wednesday, left emergency workers scrambling to find out if there were any more victims near the tower for KCBD-TV in Lubbock, although police believe the pilot was the only person in the plane, according to an Associated Press report.

Authorities say that the pilot’s single-engine Piper PA-46 smashed into the 814-foot tower while attempting to land at Preston Smith International Airport. The plane had originated from Carlsbad, New Mexico, and it disappeared from radar at about 7:30 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The pilot’s name was not immediately available.

The crash resulted in a power outage in the surrounding neighborhood and knocked the TV station off the air. KCBD personnel evacuated the building. The station was back on the air Thursday using a studio that the Lubbock school district provided to them.

A Piper PA-46 is a light aircraft that uses a single engine and has the capacity for one pilot and five passengers. It is used mainly by civilians.

Preston Smith International Airport, originally known as Lubbock International Airport, is named after former Texas Gov. Preston E. Smith. It is the eighth busiest airport in Texas, behind Dallas’ two airports, Houston’s two airports, and the airports of San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso.

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