A pilot has been killed in a plane crash in East Lubbock that also destroyed a local TV station's broadcast tower. The affected station is KCBD TV; it is located near US 84 and Avenue A in Lubbock, Texas. Its 815-foot tower fell after the crash, causing power interruptions -- some persisting now -- across about a third of the city.
KCBD NewsChannel 11
41 mins ·
We have received this statement from the FAA:
A single-engine Piper PA-46 crashed while on approach to Lubbock's Preston Smith International Airport. The aircraft dropped off radar screens about 7:30 p.m. local time.
The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed a crash site inside the city limits of Lubbock.
FAA investigators are on their way to the site. The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified.
We'll continue to update on Facebook and the web as we learn more.
A small airplane hit the 815-foot-tall broadcast tower of KCBD-TV, Channel 11, the NBC affiliate at about 7:30 p.m. According to the FAA, who have investigators en route, the plane sheared off the tower during approach to Preston Smith International Airport. One person has been confirmed dead as a result of the crash.
A moment of silence for the crash victim and the family, please.
KCBD was the 2nd station to go on air in Lubbock, the first to broadcast in color and the first local news broadcast in HD; it's got one of the best meteorology staffs in Texas.
I'm glad to know all the station personnel are ok. Power is out around parts of Lubbock tonight and police have closed the major roads in the area.
The tower fell on nearby power lines. The station's buildings were evacuated because structural engineers felt the building to be unsafe with the no-longer-guy-wired-tower debris overhead.
http://www.kcbd.com/...
8:54 PM PT: The station itself is updating news here: http://www.kcbd.com/...
The latest entry confirms the identity of the pilot killed in the crash, carries photos and details of the ongoing power outages.