6 Dead in Plane Crash Landing at Shannon Airport; Probe Ongoing to Determine Cause
6 were confirmed dead as a small plane crashes near railroad tracks; witnesses saw flames and white smoke as Amtrak trains were stopped.
A small plane crashed Friday afternoon in Shannon Airport in Spotsylvania, leaving 6 passengers dead. Virginia State Police said that they had first noted two confirmed deaths after the plane crashed. However, as they worked closely with medical examiners on the scene, they confirmed that there were 6 deaths.
Corinne Geller, spokesperson of the Virginia State Police, said late Friday afternoon that all the six passengers of the plane were from out of state. The identities will soon be revealed after the next of kin were notified.
Crash off Tidewater Trail
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The first call about the crash was received around 12:26 p.m. Respondents to the scene called and said that the crash happened near the airport along Tidewater Trail. The small private plane was attempting to land at Shannon Airport when it came to the runway's end. The pilot tried to pull back up according to the spokesperson.
The small plane was able to make it beyond the railroad tracks near the end of the airport when it moved left and struck a tree line. After striking, the plane crashed in the trees and then caught fire.
White smoke and reports from eyewitnesses
An eye witness riding an Amtrak train saw the crash near the airport. The witness said that the plane was completely burnt and there were also flames from the debris. She also saw white smoke from the crash.
Amtrak trains were stopped and delayed for about 30 minutes because of the crash. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating the crash.
Another Amtrak passenger said that after their train came to a halt, the conductor announced that they will momentarily stop because of a fire from a plane crash. The witness said that their train moved past the plane crash site and she saw flames and smoke. She also mentioned that there were a number of rescue vehicles on the scene while remains of a completely burnt plane were also visible.
More eyewitnesses went to social media to talk about the incident and prayed for anyone who was involved in the crash. Tweets included photos of the burning plane caught in an area with a lot of trees. These photos were captioned with concerns to the people who may have been affected by the crash.
Shannon Airport serves around 85 flights in a day and around 91 aircraft are based in the airport. Most of these aircraft are single-engine planes.
