2 German pilots killed when WWII-era airplane crashes after takeoff in southern Finland

HELSINKI — Two German men died when their World War II-era airplane crashed and caught fire in southern Finland minutes after takeoff, police said Thursday.

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

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

Authorities 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 navy version of the T-6, had been brought to Finland in 2020 and was last inspected earlier this month, according to Finnish media.

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