NEW YORK — A small plane crashed near the Westchester County Airport Thursday night, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, killing both people on board.
The single-engine plane, an A36 Beechcraft Bonanza, took off from New York City’s JFK Airport just before 5 pm and was headed for the Cuyahoga County Airport in Richmond Heights, Ohio, the FAA said in a statement. The pilot reported that he had low oil pressure at 5:25 pm and then reported engine trouble when the plane was about a mile from Westchester County Airport.
Minutes later, the White Plains airport lost contact with the aircraft.
There were two people, the pilot and a passenger, on board the plane when it crashed, sources told NBC 4 New York. After searching the wooded area for hours, county officials confirmed the plane had been located, with the two people inside.
The pilot and passenger died in the crash, county officials said. The focus of the search was near the north end of Rye Lake, off Cooley Hill Road in Armonk. The plane was found in trees near the airport.
The aircraft’s tail number is traced to the T&G Flying Club in Ohio. The identities of the victims have not yet been released.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide updates.