Three people were killed in two separate plane crashes in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Saturday. Two others were injured when a small plane crashed in Hesse. A third person was injured when the accident occurred in the south of the country.
In the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia, a small plane crashed immediately after taking off from Bad Sassendorf airport, a police spokesman told dpa. Two people were killed in the accident, which occurred during a pilots’ meeting at the small airport.
The cause of the crash was initially unclear. The plane crashed in a field nearby. Eyewitnesses rushed to the scene of the accident and tried to provide first aid, the police spokesman said.
Earlier, a small plane crashed in Gütersloh-Spexard, south of Bielefeld, and exploded in the bushes. The pilot was alone on board and died, according to the police. The double-decker propeller plane took off from Porta Westfalica in the morning and was on its way to the Sauerland. It is not clear what caused the accident.
In northern Hesse, two men were seriously injured when a light aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Korbach airfield. The single-engine Piper did not reach high enough and crashed near the airfield, according to Kassel police. It is unclear what caused the accident. The men were taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
