Two dead in Florida small plane crash near Tampa

Two people died on Thursday after a small plane crashed shortly after departing from the Tampa Executive Airport in Florida. The aircraft, identified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a four-seat Lancair Evolution, went down in a wooded area northeast of Tampa.

Firefighters arrived at the scene around 8:16 a.m. ET and found the plane engulfed in flames, which they extinguished within ten minutes. Authorities discovered two bodies inside the wreckage, which sustained extensive damage. The flight was reportedly en route to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, but reached an altitude of only about sixty meters before the crash.

The identities of the deceased have not yet been released pending notification of their families. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the cause of the accident, with a preliminary report expected within thirty days.