Small plane crash in upstate New York kills 2

Small plane crash in upstate New York kills 2

2011-06-29 07:13:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- A small plane crash in upstate New York's Hudson Valley killed the two people on board, officials said Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday at around 12 p.m. local time, when the pilot of the four-seat, single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk was approaching the Dutchess County Airport runway in Wappinger, New York. The pilot lost control and crashed down in a field around 65 miles north of New York City, Sherriff's Seargent Jonathan Hughes told the Albany Times Union.

The pilot was reportedly practicing touch-and-go landings - which is when the aircraft lands and takes off repeatedly without stopping - said Arlene Salac, spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Salac said the pilot and a second individual in the aircraft died during the crash. The fatal victims have not been identified, but the Dutchess County Sheriff's office said both were males, one from Dutchess County and one from Putnam County.

The aircraft is registered to Millbrook Flight LLC of the nearby Poughquag area in Beekman, New York. Investigations are ongoing as the cause of the accident remains unclear.

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