Authorities said a small plane that disappeared after leaving New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport Thursday evening crashed before reaching its destination.
Officials said the single-engine Beechcraft A36 was found near Rye Lake in White Plains, New York, located adjacent to the Westchester County Airport (HPN), following a massive search-and-rescue operation, according to Cleveland 19 News.
Its two occupants — a pilot and a passenger — were deceased, local station News12 reported.
The plane was heading to the Cuyahoga County Airport in Richmond Heights, Ohio, but its pilot reported having engine trouble about a mile away from the Westchester County Airport around 6:15 p.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Elizabeth Isham Cory said.
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Airplanes are seen parked at the apron of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the United States, Jan. 3, 2022.
(Michael Nagle/Xinhua via Getty Images)
The Westchester County Airport is approximately 39 miles north of JFK.
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Westchester police spokesperson Kieran O’Leary said air traffic controllers were aware the plane was approaching the White Plains airport after the pilot had radioed them but the pilot then went silent.
O’Leary said later that a search was underway to determine what happened with the plane.
A terminal at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Department of Transportation sign outside the Orville Wright Building.
(Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Emergency responders including Westchester police and firefighters initially searched through nearby woods and a reservoir, O’Leary said.
News12 reported personnel searched by foot in the wooded areas nearby dive teams and boats searched the water.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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