Two pilots die when WWII plane crashes after takeoff in Finland

HELSINKI – Two Germans died when the plane they were traveling in during World War II crashed and caught fire in southern Finland minutes after takeoff, police said on Thursday.

The single-engine, two-seat T-6 Texan plane – a popular American military training plane introduced in the 1930s and now used mainly in air shows – crashed in a forest near Rayskala airfield on Wednesday, killing the “two experienced pilots,” police said.

“The small plane crashed to the ground shortly after takeoff and caught fire,” police said in a statement. Finnish accident investigators said it was likely the engine had failed.

Officials said the German-owned aircraft was recently sold and was on a test flight before being transferred to Germany.

According to Finnish news agency STT, the plane was manufactured in 1942 and was the only one of its kind in Finland. The aircraft, a naval version of the T-6, was brought to Finland in 2020 and was last inspected earlier this month, according to Finnish media.

Rayskala, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Helsinki, is the largest sports aviation center in the Nordic region, according to its website.