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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/31/hampshire-fire-services-respond-plane-overshooting-airport-runway
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Four people on board crashed plane at Blackbushe airport | |
(35 minutes later) | |
A business jet with four people on board has crashed at a private airport in Hampshire and ploughed into a car auction centre. | |
The Phenom 300, a light aircraft with space for up to nine passengers and thought to be worth £6m, crashed as it attempted to land at Blackbushe airport, seven miles north-west of Farnborough, a spokesman for the airport said. | |
“A Phenom 300 jet with four persons on board crashed near the end of the runway around 3.09pm while attempting to make a landing,” he said. | |
“The scene was attended by Blackbushe fire and rescue within minutes, followed by Hampshire fire, police and ambulance units. Emergency services are currently controlling the scene.” | |
Hampshire fire brigade sent four pumps and a Land Rover to the scene, while South East Coast ambulance service confirmed a “multi-vehicle” response. The service’s hazardous area response team said on Twitter that there were four casualties but did not give any further details. | |
A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said it had received reports that the aircraft missed the runway and crashed into the British Car Auctions site at the airport. Other reports suggested the plane had crashed on or just after take-off. | |
Andrew Thomas, who was paying for a car at the time of impact, said the plane exploded. | |
“I saw it when it had just happened, and could see the plane and cars in flames,” he told BBC Surrey. “The plane nosedived into the cars and exploded on impact. I have heard from staff here that four people were on the plane.” | |
Joe Ramos told local station Eagle Radio that the aircraft had clipped the fence of the auction centre. | |
“There was a loud bang and my son quickly came into the auction hall saying a plane had gone down. We quickly went back out only to see a private jet had gone over the fence of the airport as it was trying to take off, but in fact it had clipped the fence, spun round and crashed into the cars.” | |
Blackbushe airport provides facilities for private jets and hosts a flying school. It was a originally an RAF base and was once a busy passenger airport before the growth of Gatwick and Heathrow eclipsed it. | Blackbushe airport provides facilities for private jets and hosts a flying school. It was a originally an RAF base and was once a busy passenger airport before the growth of Gatwick and Heathrow eclipsed it. |
Images on social media show a large fire and plume of smoke in the carpark of the dealership. | |
Small plane crashed into car auction at Blackbushe airport pic.twitter.com/lxHLF76WIf | Small plane crashed into car auction at Blackbushe airport pic.twitter.com/lxHLF76WIf |
#blackbushe this looks bad. Praying for anyone involved pic.twitter.com/7zZDV5q9mK | #blackbushe this looks bad. Praying for anyone involved pic.twitter.com/7zZDV5q9mK |
A statement from Hampshire Constabulary said: “We were called at 3.09pm to Blackbushe to reports of an air emergency. Road closures are in place and ambulance and fire crews are also in attendance. More details in due course.” |