KCBD Lubbock Tower Felled by Airplane

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An airplane crashed into the KCBD Lubbock broadcast tower on the evening of Feb. 4, killing the pilot. The station is without power at press time.

KCBD wrote on its Facebook page, “Something has apparently crashed into the KCBD tower. Power is out at the station and we're working to assess the damage.”

A single-engine Piper PA-46 crashed into the 814-foot tower while approaching Preston Smith International Airport around 7:30 p.m., cutting the tower in half. Dr. Kenneth Mike Rice was named as the pilot. No station personnel were injured.

FAA investigators are on en route to the site, reports KCBD.com, and the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified.

The station is broadcasting on cable and online from nearby LISD-TV.

Michael Malone
Michael Malone

Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.