Newsday

Four Die in Texas Plane Crash

CROSBY, Texas (AP) -- A small airplane crashed in a wooded area northeast of Houston and burst into flames Saturday, killing all four people aboard, authorities said.

Rescue crews said the plane's engine and unidentifiable remains were all that was left from the crash. Two adults and two children were aboard.

''It started making this loud noise. I thought it was going to land in the dirt road. Then I could tell it was going to crash, and it just went head first into the woods,'' said Jose Sagastante, 19, who was working at a nearby sports complex.

Coaches helping a children's football team practice nearby saw the plane go down and ran into the woods, searching for survivors, but the plane burned after impact, officials said.

The plane crashed in a rural neighborhood, Harris County sheriff's deputy Jay Thomas said. The cause hadn't been determined, he said.

AP-NY-08-19-00 1634EDT< 

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), August 21, 2000