Small plane crashes in south-central Idaho, killing 4

Small plane crashes in south-central Idaho, killing 4

2011-08-15 12:53:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

BURLEY, IDAHO (BNO NEWS) -- Four people are believed to have been killed after a small plane crashed near an airport in south-central Idaho on Sunday afternoon, officials said on early Monday.

The accident happened at around 2.30 p.m. local time when a small plane was attempting to take off from Burley Municipal Airport, which is located about one mile (two kilometers) northeast of Burley, a city in Cassia County.

Mike Fergus, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said a total of four people were on board the aircraft when it crashed and burst into flames. He said it was not yet known what type of aircraft was involved, or who the aircraft was registered to.

Photos from the scene showed only a small amount of burned debris was left after the plane had crashed in dry grass near railroad tracks, causing a small grass fire which was quickly extinguished by firefighters.

Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the cause of the accident.

Last month, seven people were killed when a small plane crashed near a local airport in western Alabama, making it the deadliest plane crash in the United States so far this year. And in March, five people were killed when a small plane crashed at Long Beach Airport in California.

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