On a sunny Sunday afternoon, tragedy struck near Hicks Airfield in Fort Worth, Texas, when a twin-engine King Air aircraft crashed, leaving a trail of devastation and heartbreak in its wake. The accident, which occurred around 1:30 p.m. on October 12, 2025, sent a plume of thick black smoke billowing into the sky, visible for miles and drawing emergency responders from across Tarrant County and beyond.
The crash site, located in the 12700 block of North Saginaw Boulevard just off Business 287 near Avondale, quickly became the focus of a massive emergency response. According to the Fort Worth Fire Department, the plane—identified as a Beechcraft King Air C90—had departed from Alliance Airport shortly before the incident. Its destination remains unknown, and officials have yet to release details about the flight’s purpose or how many people were on board. What is known is grim: two individuals lost their lives at the scene, their identities still withheld as authorities work to notify families.
Witnesses described a scene of chaos and horror. Gregory Delano, who was at a nearby business, recounted to CBS News, “Ran around the corner and just seen a giant ball of fire and smoke… Walked around the fire, not getting too close. Trying to see if there was an access point, maybe a cockpit that I could see or anything that would lead me to anybody that was inside of it, but it was completely engulfed.” Delano, who said he had taken the firefighter entrance exam, realized the futility of attempting to fight the blaze with a hand-held extinguisher. “So when you have that much fire with fuel, it releases natural gas and it starts hissing, trying to get that pressure to escape. I heard it hissing.”
The crash’s impact was immediate and severe. The plane slammed into a parking lot used for storing 18-wheelers, trailers, and campers, igniting a fierce fire that quickly spread. At least ten tractor-trailers were damaged, and the inferno sparked grass fires that threatened to spiral out of control. “We ran out here and there was smoke, it was black, but what was bad was the fire. It was so, I mean, you can just feel how intense it was. It was so bad, and people were like, stopping their cars running down there, then ... we hear total 'booms',” neighbor Theresa Brown told Fox News. She added, “You just knew nobody survived that… I don't know what else to say. It's just heart-wrenching. You don't wish that on anybody.”
The response from local agencies was swift and overwhelming. The Fort Worth Fire Department dispatched sixty personnel, ten firetrucks, fourteen support vehicles, and three ambulances to the scene. They were joined by units from Tarrant County, Haslet, Lake Worth, Newark, Saginaw, Eagle Mountain, and Blue Mound. Firefighters battled the blaze for thirty-five minutes, finally bringing it under control by 2:11 p.m. According to authorities, the fire’s intensity and the presence of fuel made the operation especially hazardous, with multiple explosions reported as the flames consumed trucks and trailers.
For business owners and residents, the disaster was both shocking and surreal. Hady Aghili, owner of the Five Points Business Park, recounted to Fox 4 the moment he realized the crash had affected his property. “They were telling me that there was a small plane crash right into our property. And I thought the beginning was a joke. I was watching a Cowboys game, but, you know, he actually first texted me, then he called me, said, Hey, you know, I'm serious, get out there.” He rushed to the scene, only to find that the flames had missed his business by mere yards. “I mean, I was wishing for the best. I was hoping, first of all, you don’t want to have any casualties. And second, you know, I mean, loss of property can always be replaced, but not the lives.”
The accident forced the closure of Business 287 in both directions, as well as Tinsley Road and Cattle Bend, snarling traffic and drawing curious onlookers. Authorities urged motorists to avoid the area, emphasizing the dangers posed by the ongoing firefighting efforts and the risk of further explosions. Surveillance and social media videos captured the scale of the disaster, showing flames licking at the sky and dense smoke obscuring the horizon.
As the flames were finally subdued and the immediate danger passed, investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived on scene. The FAA is leading the investigation, with the NTSB providing assistance. The agencies will examine every aspect of the flight, from maintenance records and pilot credentials to weather conditions and possible mechanical failures. At the time of the crash, the weather was sunny, breezy, and dry—a detail that could prove relevant as investigators determine whether environmental factors played a role.
Despite the rapid response and the best efforts of first responders, there was nothing to be done for the two victims. Their deaths are a stark reminder of the risks inherent in aviation and the unpredictable dangers that can arise even on an ordinary Sunday afternoon. As Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Craig Trojacek noted, “There are a lot of people at home spending family time on a Sunday. There’s going to be some families their lives are changed forever, and we just want everybody to know that our hearts and prayers go out to them.”
Hicks Airfield, the site of the tragedy, is a private member-owned airstrip located north of Fort Worth in unincorporated Tarrant County. The area between Fort Worth Alliance Airport and Fort Worth Meacham Airport—west of Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport—is a busy corridor for both commercial and private aviation. Yet, crashes of this magnitude remain rare, and the community is left grappling with the aftermath.
For now, many questions remain unanswered. Authorities have not disclosed the identities of the victims, the reason for the flight, or what caused the aircraft to go down so suddenly and violently. The FAA and NTSB investigations will likely take weeks, if not months, to yield definitive answers. In the meantime, the scars left on the landscape—and in the hearts of those who witnessed the tragedy firsthand—will serve as a somber testament to the fragility of life and the unpredictability of fate.
As the community comes to terms with its loss, the hope is that lessons learned from this disaster will help prevent similar tragedies in the future. For now, Fort Worth mourns two lives lost and honors the courage of those who rushed toward danger in an effort to help.
