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Three people are dead after a single-engine plane crashed near a neighborhood Saturday night in Bowie, Maryland.<\/p>\n
\n WTOP’s Ian Crawford and Dan Ronan with the latest following a plane crash near a neighborhood late Saturday night in Bowie, Maryland, that left three people dead.<\/p>\n
A single-engine plane crashed near a neighborhood late Saturday in Bowie, Maryland, leaving three people dead, according to police.<\/p>\n
The single-engine Piper Cherokee crashed around 11:30 p.m. with a pilot and two passengers on board, according to Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo. All three people on board were adults. Identification is being withheld pending next of kin notification, police said.<\/p>\n
The plane was en route from Ocean City, New Jersey, to Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Russo said.<\/p>\n
Prince George\u2019s County Public Safety Communications received information at 11:53 p.m. about an \u201ciPhone crash alert\u201d that indicated \u201ca crash in the area of Rt. 50 and 301,\u201d Russo said.<\/p>\n
Multiple local agencies responded and began a ground and aerial search immediately, including members of the Prince George\u2019s County Fire Department, Maryland State Police College Park Barrack, Anne Arundel County Police and Aviation, Bowie City Police and the Prince George\u2019s County Police Department.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The aircraft was located around 3:45 a.m., \u201cin a wooden area in close proximity to a residential area\u201d off of Scarlet Oak Terrace, Russo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have any other information at this point from any eye witnesses or anybody that heard anything. The only thing we have is that iPhone crash alert,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The debris covers about 100 feet in a wooded area behind a fence that is \u201cvery close to a townhome community behind a playground,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Police said that they believe that the plane belongs to an area flight school in Montgomery County and \u201cwas possibly participating in a training flight.\u201d<\/p>\n
WTOP\u2019s Dan Ronan, a licensed pilot, said that the Piper Cherokee is commonly used in training because it is relatively easy to operate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is frequently flown, very safe,\u201d Ronan said. \u201cIt is a relatively simple airplane to fly because it does not have retractable landing gear. The gear is fixed. The engine is relatively simple in terms of aviation parlance. Managing the engine and the power settings is relatively simple, as compared to other complex, more complicated airplanes,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When it comes to visibility, Ronan said Saturday night was very clear and conditions were favorable for flying.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as nights to fly, last night was a gorgeous night,\u201d he said. \u201cThe temperature was cool, it was in the 70s, the visibility was wide open, very good visibility in terms of flying. If you\u2019re going to pick a night to fly general aviation and do a cross country from Ocean City, New Jersey, to our area, very, very good night to fly in terms of just overall conditions,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Police said the crash site is near a public park by the townhomes that was narrowly avoided by the plane.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely a tragic incident that we are here investigating today. It could have been even worse because of the proximity of the crash was literally right next to a town home community in Bowie,\u201d Russo said.<\/p>\n
The investigation will be led by the NTSB and the FAA. The NTSB has dispatched someone from an area field office was expected to arrive Sunday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ronan said that the NTSB will be looking at the pilot, passengers, aircraft and all elements before and during flight.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re going to be looking at the airplane, the condition of the airplane, all of the mechanical records, and then, of course, they will deconstruct the lives of those poor people who passed away,\u201d Ronan said. \u201cSadly, they will be deconstructing the last week of their lives to try and figure out what, if any, human factors might have been a contributing factor that caused this accident late last night, early this morning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A map of the area where the plane crashed is below:<\/p>\n
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