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2 men killed as small plane crashes and catches fire during takeoff in Florida's Palm Beach County

The flight logs indicate that it departed Kentucky on Sunday and made multiple stops, including one in Williston, north of Tampa

LANTANA, FLORIDA: Two men were killed in a tragic small aircraft crash at the Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana on Sunday night of March 5. According to the officials, the plane "went down in the field and caught fire".

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said emergency crews were called to the airport around 9:30 pm for a reported aircraft crash and after reaching the spot they saw a small plane on fire. The fire was swiftly put out, according to a spokesperson for the agency. Two male victims were declared dead at the scene by the paramedics. However, they haven't been identified yet.

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'NTSB is investigating'

Palm Beach County Sheriff in a tweet informed, "Last night around 9:26 PM, Deputies responded to a plane crash at the Lantana Airport." It added, "Upon arrival, the plane was engulfed with flames which were extinguished by PBCFR." Announcing the death of two, the Sheriff's department said, "Two deceased W/M victims were observed in the wreckage. The scene was contained by PBSO overnight. FAA and NTSB will arrive in the morning to assume the investigation. PBSO will assist."

The update on Monday morning by WPTV confirmed that Members of the National Transportation Safety Board were at the airport to investigate the cause of the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration was also investigating.

"NTSB is investigating yesterday's crash of a Diamond DA40 airplane near the Palm Beach County Airport in Florida," they tweeted.

The aircraft is registered to Diamond Aircraft Sales located in Henderson, Kentucky, as per FlightAware. The flight logs indicate that it departed Kentucky on Sunday and made multiple stops, including one in Williston, north of Tampa, before eventually crashing off of Lantana Road.

'There is no air traffic control tower'

Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) is located in Lantana, Florida, and is 6 miles south of PBI as per the  Palm Beach County Park Airport's website. LNA it says is a busy airport with a mix of fixed-wing and helicopters. It further states, "There is no air traffic control tower and the common air traffic advisory frequency is 122.70. There are currently no landing fees at LNA." It also mentioned that "There are six runways which are located in the triangle layout. The longest runways are 9 / 27 and are 3,489' in length & 75' wide. The maximum operating weight at Park airport is 12,500 lbs. The field also has several flight schools, aircraft maintenance & a propeller shop."

'Crash happened in a field'

Derek Lowe, a WPTV reporter, said the crash happened in a field about 1,000 feet from a runway. "#BREAKING overnight — Two people pronounced dead after a small plane crash near the #PalmBeachCounty Park #Lantana Airport. The cause is still under investigation. Firefighters were called here just before 9:30 Sunday night. ⁦@WPTV."