2 killed in small plane crash at airport in Tupelo, Mississippi

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — A small twin-engine aircraft crashed Saturday near hangars at Tupelo Regional Airport in northeastern Mississippi, killing two people, authorities said.

The plane banked sharply after takeoff, witnesses told WCBI-TV, and came down beside the airport’s Army Aviation Support Facility.

Video posted on the news outlet’s Facebook page showed flames and black smoke rising from wreckage in a grassy field between the Army hangar and a fence surrounding the airport. The siren of a firefighting vehicle could be heard.

The crash happened at around 8 a.m., and the two casualties were later confirmed by Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka. Authorities have not released the names of the dead or a possible cause for the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, officials said.