Deaths, injuries after 3 accidents involving small planes in Germany

Three people in Germany died in two separate plane crashes in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Saturday, while two more were injured when a light aircraft crashed in Hesse, in a third in incident further south.

In the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia, a small plane crashed immediately after taking off from Bad Sassendorf airfield, a police spokesman told dpa. Two people died in the accident, that occurred at a pilot meet at the small airfield.

The cause of the crash was initially unclear. The aircraft came down in a field very close by. Eyewitnesses ran to the accident site and tried to provide first aid, the police spokesman said.

Earlier, a small plane crashed in Gütersloh-Spexard, south of Bielefeld, and shattered in the bushes. The pilot was alone on board and was killed, the police said. The biplane propeller aircraft took off from Porta Westfalica in the morning and was heading for the Sauerland. It was not clear what caused the accident.

In North Hesse, two men were seriously injured when a light aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Korbach airfield. The single-engine Piper did not gain sufficient altitude and crashed near the airfield, the Kassel police said. It was unclear what caused the accident. The men were brought to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.