West Chester, PA – A small plane crash near a southeastern Pennsylvania airport Sunday took the lives of the only two people aboard the aircraft, authorities said.
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Emergency officials said the crash was reported just after 1:30 p.m. near Brandywine Airport, located about 20 miles west of Philadelphia. The Federal Aviation Administration said the Piper PA28 took off from the airport and went down about two miles away then burst into flames. It appeared the pilot lost control of the plane before it went down in a field in West Goshen, officials said.
Brandywine Airport officials declined comment on the crash, citing the ongoing investigation.
“There were two lives lost; our hearts go out to the families,” said Jeff Suveg, the airport’s assistant manager.
The crash site was close to two residences and Harrison Hills Apartments, a new senior citizen complex, The Philadelphia Inquirer (http://bit.ly/1Ml3dVs ) reported.
A nearby resident told the newspaper he saw smoke and fire but heard nothing. Frank Kraus, a resident at the apartment complex, said he heard a “big bang” and was concerned with how close the plane came to the apartments.
“Very close — thank God for the pilot, but then the pilot and his passenger didn’t make it,” Kraus told the paper. “It’s sad.”
The FAA will investigate the cause of the crash.