Five On Ground Killed When Plane Impacts Sports Field

The downing of a police training aircraft in Chile Wednesday resulted in the deaths of all six persons onboard the Cessna 210, and another five on the ground, according to news reports.

The country's civil aviation agency stated the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Tobalaba Airport in the capital of Santiago, according to Agence-France Presse.

Other reports state the aircraft was approaching the small airport to land when the crash occurred.

The C210 impacted a sports field, where an aerobics class was underway. Police say four women and a small child on the ground were killed, and another 25 were injured. A police captain, a lieutenant, and four students aged 17-19 were reportedly onboard the six-place aircraft.

Witness accounts and official reports suggest the aircraft may have suffered engine failure.

"The airplane appeared to lose power, made a sudden U-turn and fell," witness Ernesto Munoz told state television, according to MSNBC. "There was violent fire when it crashed."

"Everything points to a mechanical failure, which made it lose power," added Jorge Rojas, a police captain.

The plane's pilot apparently steered away from a nearby residential area, and may have been attempting an emergency landing on the field.

"In the last stretch, the plane dipped to one side, caught the fence and dropped," said witness Ricardo Valdebenito. "There were women and children doing gymnastics. When it fell I heard an explosion and saw trees go up in flames."

FMI: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ci.html