Small aircraft slams into building in Texas

From Stratfor:

February 18, 2010
A small plane has crashed into a building in Austin, Texas, adjacent to FBI offices, News 8 Austin reported Feb. 18, citing Texas Department of Transportation cameras in the area and citizen reports. Cameras show smoke and fire coming from the building, located in the 9400 block of Research Boulevard.

AUSTIN — A small single-engine airplane has crashed into an office complex in North Austin, reports say.

The seven-story office building, described as the Echelon building, is in the 9400 block of Research Boulevard, according to Austin fire officials. The site is near U.S. 183 and MoPac.

The FBI said there is nothing at this point that indicates that the crash is anything more than an accident at this time.

Initial reports were that the Austin field office of the San Antonio FBI were in the building, but it was later learned that the FBI offices are in a nearby building.

The nearest airport is Austin Bergstrom International Airport, which is some 15 miles away, in southeast Austin, and the crash site is reportedly on the flight path for that airport.

The Austin American-Statesman is offering live streaming video of the plane crash via traffic camera: here.

Austin-Travis County EMS Assistant Director James Shamard told the Statesman that smoke is visible for at least a mile.

The Statesman reported that two people were unaccounted for.

From Stratfor: Update

February 18, 2010
More information is emerging about the plane crash in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 18. According to local TV station KVUE, the single-engine Piper 150 Cherokee crashed into the St. Edwards professional Education Center building. EMS officials said the building is seven stories tall and that two people are unaccounted for. Paramedics have set up a triage center at the scene. Local media cited a witness saying he saw a small plane flying very low over the highway. The witness said he saw the plane bank heavily to the right before crashing into the building. STRATFOR witnesses say the building is still on fire and have not seen any plane wreckage.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

A small single-engine plane crashed into a seven-story office building in Austin, Texas, around 10 a.m. local time Thursday.

An NTSB official told Fox News that they are investigating this as an intentional act, and said it appears the pilot set his own house on fire and then got in his plane and flew it into the building. An NTSB spokesman, however, told FoxNews.com that “we can’t confirm any of that.”

Authorities said they have identified the pilot, but are not yet releasing the name.

An Internal Revenue Service office is located inside the building.

IRS Agent William Winnie said he was on the third floor of the building when he saw a light-colored, single engine plane coming towards the building, TheStatesman.com reported.

“It looked like it was coming right in my window,” Winnie said, according to the Web sit.

Winnie said the plane veered down and smashed into the lower floors. “I didn’t lose my footing, but it was enough to knock people who were sitting to the floor.”

SLIDESHOW: Small Plane Crashes Into Austin Office Building

The Austin American-Statesman newspaper reported on its Web site that EMS officials have taken two patients to the hospital, and that there are several “walking wounded” at the scene. Paramedics have set up a triage center at the scene.

Harry Evans, an assistant chief with the Austin Fire Department, said one person from the building was unaccounted for.

“There may be other injuries, we are unsure at this time,” Evans said during a news conference Thursday.

Heavy smoke could be seen coming from the building at 9420 Research Boulevard. Several local witnesses on Twitter reported seeing flames coming out of the building and lots of broken glass.

Dozens of fire trucks were on scene and the building was evacuated.

Early reports that the building housed the FBI field office in Austin later turned out not to be true. An FBI spokesman told Fox News that the FBI office in Austin is near where the plane crashed, but not in the same building. There are some federal offices in the building, though authorities couldn’t identify which ones.

The FBI spokesman also told Fox News that as of 10:30 a.m. local time. there was nothing to indicate that this targeted the FBI or that the crash was terrorism-related.

“The building lies along a flight path,” the spokesman said, so right now it looks like an “accident.”

KXAN is reporting that emergency crews are on the scene, and two people are still unaccounted for, according to fire officials. The station also reported that the collision shook the entire building, and the entire front of the structure is gone.

Click here for more from MyFoxAustin.com.

NewsCore contributed to this report.

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Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

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