Nation : AF Tanker Explodes on Takeoff
From Times staff and wire service reports
ABILENE, Tex. — An Air Force tanker plane with 19 people aboard crashed on takeoff today from Dyess Air Force Base, exploding in what witnesses called a ball of flames.
Pentagon spokeswoman Maj. Kathy Wood said she had no word on whether any of the 19 aboard survived the crash but witnesses told Cable News Network it was unlikely anyone could have lived through the crash and explosion. The KC-135 aircraft, laden with fuel, had taken off in mild weather on a flight to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.
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