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CatastropheGermany

Germany: 2 dead after light plane crash near Frankfurt

Farah Bahgat
June 9, 2021

A light aircraft crashed into trees not far from Frankfurt. The accident took place near a local airport, highway and railway line, but only caused damage on a more minor road.

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Firefighters use a crane to recover the wreckage of the small plane from the side of the road.
Firefighters used a crane to recover the wreckage of the small plane from the side of the roadImage: Michael Seeboth/dpa/picture alliance

Two people were killed as a small plane crashed into trees near the town of Gelnhausen in the south-eastern part of the state of Hesse on Tuesday. The victims of the crash were 53 and 67-years-old, police said.

Initial information on the accident suggests the plane was heading to a nearby airport.

A police spokesperson cited by the German dpa news agency said that the aircraft's emergency parachute seemed to not have been triggered. Investigators were able to trigger the system, which causes a small explosion, safely with the plane on the ground.

The aircraft crashed at around 2:30 p.m. (1230 UTC), the local Hessenchau news outlet reported, citing eyewitnesses.

There crash did not affect the nearby A66 highway or railway line. The light aircraft crashed into a tree near a smaller road adjacent to the highway, Hessenschau reported.

The reason for the crash was not immediately clear. Investigations were underway.