FREDERICKSBURG, Texas — Crews in Fredericksburg worked all day Friday cleaning up the wreckage left by a plane that crashed Thursday night.
- One person dead
- NTSB unable to investigate due to shutdown
- FAA investigating
One person died. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspector came out to investigate the crash Friday.
PREVIOUS STORY: 1 Dead After Plane Crash in Fredericksburg
Usually when something like this happens, the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) both respond. But the FAA is having to pick up NTSB's workload because of the government shutdown.
The FAA inspector said despite there being an airport nearby, the pilot did not take off from there. He may have been trying to land before the crash
Steve Klokker, a neighbor in the area, happens to be a former volunteer firefighter. He said he heard the crash from his garage and ran out to render aid.
“My first instinct was to see if there was a survivor. There was a small fire at the time, I mean a pretty good fire at the time. Thinking that maybe, he may be lying next to the plane or still able to get him out,” said Klokker. “As I approached the plane, then it really went up and exploded with a big huge fire ball.”
The FAA's investigator says the plane will have to be moved and stored until there is enough money to take a thorough look at the plane's mechanics.