An Airbus A400M Atlas transport plane has crashed in Seville, Spain. The aircraft had seven people aboard when it went down shortly after takeoff.
A spokesman for the European airplane manufacturer Airbus Group confirmed the crash, stating the Atlas was due to be delivered to the Turkish Air Force. Airbus is sending investigators to the scene.
According to government officials in Seville, seven people were aboard–all believed to be Airbus personnel. Three were killed, two were transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and two people remain unaccounted for at this time.
One hundred seventy-four of the Atlas have been purchased by eight different nations. France’s Armée de l’Air was the first to take delivery of the aircraft. Germany, the United Kingdom, and Turkey are among the nations who have acquired it.
It is the first crash of the type, which occurred during what is believed to be a pre-delivery test flight. The A400M program has been plagued by production delays and cost overruns,resulting in the head of Airbus Group’s defense operation being removed from his position earlier this year.
(Featured photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)