Four crew members killed and two injured after Airbus A400M crashes shortly after takeoff, say Airbus Defence and Space

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Four crew members died and two were injured in a Spanish air force cargo plane that crashed on a test flight near Seville airport on Saturday, Airbus Defence and Space have announced.



All members of the crew of six were company employees and of Spanish nationality, according to the company, which is the defence arm of Airbus Group.

The two injured were in hospital in a serious condition.



A spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those affected by this tragic accident and we are providing all our care and support.”

An Airbus Group team of technical advisers is being sent to provide full assistance to the official committee in charge of the investigation.

The plane was expected to be the third aircraft to be delivered to a Turkish customer, and formal delivery was scheduled for next month.

Earlier in the day, Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, said the brand new Airbus A400M aircraft came down a mile north of the airport in the south of the country on Saturday while undergoing flight trials.

Tweet Airports (@Tweet_Airports) RT @airlivenet: UPDATE CRASH #A400M New pictures of the crash site at Seville http://t.co/UtPuliKkfG pic.twitter.com/RZHf1hNd5K

“We express our deepest sympathy. They were fellow countrymen,” Rajoy said.

Thick black smoke could be seen rising from the rural scene of the crash, while pictures on Twitter showed firefighters putting out the flaming wreckage.

AirLive.net (@airlivenet) BREAKING #A400M CRASH First pictures of the crash site at Seville http://t.co/JagRbNuzQN pic.twitter.com/riHuuJOgcp

Spain’s airport authority, Aena, confirmed that Seville airport had been closed because its fire crews were attending the crash outside its perimeter fence. All flights to Seville were being diverted to Malaga and Jerez airports, Aena said.

Spanish state television, TVE, broadcast footage shot from a car driving past airport buildings showing a plume of black smoke. TVE said the pilots had communicated with the control tower, saying their plane was in difficulty.

Crash Aérien (@crashaerien) Certaines sources indiquent qu'un Airbus A400M se serait crashé à Séville - http://t.co/8sXOdGtHFA @crashaerien pic.twitter.com/NLPTa6mOSw

Sky News reported that the plane came down near a Coca-Cola factory.

The A400M is a large, propeller-driven transport aircraft that is being assembled in Seville. Eight countries have ordered 194 of the planes, including Britain, which is seeking a replacement to its ageing Hercules fleet. The RAF took delivery of its first A400M last November and is due to have 22 in service by 2019.

The UK Ministry of Defence said it was aware of reports of the crash and had paused any operations with its A400Ms as a precaution.



