A small plane crashed in Texas early Monday morning, leaving three passengers dead off of United States Highway 60 near Amarillo.
Spokesperson from the Federal Aviation Administration Lynn Lunsford told the Associated Press that the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashed into a lakebed on a flight from Lubbock to Amarillo. Weather officials who spoke with AP said there were reports of heavy fog and reduced visibility in the area.
Emergency response crews found the wrecked aircraft at about 7:15 a.m. CST Monday, 2 miles north of Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. According to the Pampa News, the Texas Department of Public Safety Communications in Amarillo heard word that an aircraft was missing east of the Texas town at about 2:00 a.m.
The pilot flying the small plane had been in communcation with air traffic controllers in Albuquerque, N.M. throughout the flight. He informed the controllers of his movements when he first tried landing at Tradewind Airport in Amarillo. After a failed attempt, the pilot tred landing the plane at the international airport.
"They were making a second attempt when they [the controllers] lost them," Ray told AP. Investigators are still unsure if the weather, a malfunction of machinery, or human error was to blame for the crash.
The identities of the victims have not yet been released. The FAA told AP that the plane was registered in Naples. Fla.
