Three off-duty Dallas Police Department officers are injured after a single-engine aircraft crashed in Forney, Texas. The Dallas Police Association confirmed that all three occupants survived the impact, though their identities have not yet been publicly released and the incident has been classified as an emergency landing that resulted in a crash.
The Crash
The emergency landing in Forney, Texas, occurred just after midnight on Saturday, May 16, 2026, when a small, private aircraft flipped upside down in a field, injuring three off-duty Dallas Police Department officers. The plane was identified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a Bellanca Downer 14-19-3, a single-engine, four-seat light aircraft.
According to the Forney Police Department, Highway Patrol officers:
“responded around 12:20 a.m. to reports of a single-engine plane crash in a remote part of Kaufman County,”
Around 12:15 a.m., the pilot attempted an emergency landing. The aircraft hit a remote field near the southwest corner of Helms Trail and Akron Way (near Sage Hill Parkway) and flipped completely onto its roof, causing substantial structural damage.
This incident in Forney is just one of many small plane crashes over the last week.
The Injuries
The Dallas Police Association confirmed that all three occupants survived the impact. Although the the police officer’s identities haven’t yet been released, their conditions have been made public:
- Officer 1: Sustained minor injuries; treated and released from the hospital.
- Officer 2: Suffered moderate injuries; currently listed in stable condition.
- Officer 3: Suffered significant, severe injuries; currently remains in critical condition.
The Dallas Police Association wrote on Facebook:
“Our immediate focus is ensuring these officers and their families receive the support and care they need during this difficult time.”
The Active Investigation
First responders from the Forney Police and Fire departments, along with the Texas Highway Patrol, secured the remote area. As it is an aviation accident, The FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) are investigating the mechanics of what caused the engine failure or sudden descent.
The FAA is leading the primary technical investigation, and is pulling the aircraft’s registration, maintenance logs, and flight tracking data. The Texas Highway Patrol and DPS investigators are handling the scene reconstruction, interviewing local witnesses who saw the plane descend, and securing the physical wreckage. The Forney Police Department and fire personnel are supporting federal investigators on-site at the field near Helms Trail.
The NTSB or the FAA is expected to release a brief preliminary report within 10 to 14 days, summarising the initial physical facts. A full, comprehensive determination of the probable cause typically takes 12 to 24 months to complete.
Sympathies go out to those affected by this crash. Follow Travel Radar to keep up-to-date on more incidents like this.
