2 dead in small plane crash at South Florida airport

LANTANA, Fla. (AP) — Two people died Friday when a small plane crashed at a small South Florida airport, Palm Beach County sheriff’s officials said.

The crash at the Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana happened shortly after 11 a.m. officials said. Television helicopter footage shows the Cessna Skyhawk broken into several pieces well off the runway. Names of the victims were not immediately released.

Flightaware.com, an online flight tracking service, shows that the plane was taking off or had just taken off when it crashed. The flight records show that the single-propeller plane typically made several short flights each day, taking off and then returning to the Lantana airport or, occasionally, flying to other small airports in the area.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate along with the sheriff’s office.

The airport serves small planes and is home to flight schools, advertising banner companies, repair shops and other aviation-related businesses.