World enews: Houston plane crash: MD-87 aircraft carrying 21 people smashes into field in Texas

An aircraft crashed in Waller County, Texas on Tuesday morning, prompting firefighters to rush to the scene to quell the flames engulfing the wreck.

Thankfully, all 21 occupants onboard the plane – 18 passengers and three crew – have made it out of the wreckage safely, according to officials. One individual suffered a back injury and was taken to a nearby hospital, as was another passenger. The youngest passenger was 10 years old.

The plane apparently crashed shortly before takeoff.

Photos from the crash site showed columns of smoke billowing from the fiery wreckage of the plane.

Waller County Judge Trey Duhon told News 2 Houston he believes the plane was chartered to Boston for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.

“The information we have at this time indicates that the plane did not attain altitude at the end of the runway and went across Morton Road, coming to a rest in the field just north of the airport, where it caught on fire,” Mr Duhon said.

The aircraft was identified as a McDonnell Douglas DC 9-87, which is a fixed wing, dual engine plane. It is registered under the name of J. Alan Kent, the corporate owner of Flair Builders, a Houston-based custom homebuilder.

Mr Kent was among the passengers on the plane during the accident.

For all the latest developments on the plane crash, follow The Independent’s live blog here.

Plane crashes into fireball outside Texas

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane rolled through a fence and then burst into flames. The accident occurred just after 10am.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

Nearly 2,000 homes in the area were left without power as a result of the wreck. By noon, local power companies had restored power to nearly all of the affected customers.

Officials have asked the public to avoid the area.