Two people were killed when a small plane headed for South Carolina crashed in Virginia, authorities said.
The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a low-flying plane and an explosion around 9 a.m. Sunday in Palmyra and an aircraft was found on fire in a densely wooded area, Virginia State Police said in a news release.
The twin-engine aircraft departed Manassas Regional Airport, about 71 miles (114 km) northeast of Palmyra, and was headed to Georgetown County Airport in South Carolina, the FAA said in a statement.
Both the pilot of the privately-owned 1975 Rockwell Aero Commander 690A and the passenger were killed, police said. Police identified the pilot as John W. Latham, 63, of Haymarket, and the passenger as Niiben C.A. Ayivorh, 73, of Burke.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, police said. There was a light rain at the time of the crash.
Two National Transportation Safety Board investigators were at the crash site beginning to document the site and the wreckage, which will be taken to a secure facility for further evaluation, the agency said in a statement. The NTSB asked for help recovering an engine, propeller and other airframe parts.
As the plane flew near Miles Jackson Road in Palmyra, parts started to separate from the airplane and some parts have already been recovered from a debris field that stretches nearly 3 miles (4.8 kilometers), the NTSB said.
