Plane crashes near airport with at least 2 dead as aircraft plummeted

Two people have died after an airplane crash landed just 20 minutes after takeoff. The horror scene took place at Covington Municipal Airport in Newton County, Georgia, United States.

The flight took of at 11pm, but crashed near the airport 21 minutes later, with the Federal Aviation Administration calling in local police after contact was lost.

Covington Police Department said: "Officers responded to the Covington Municipal Airport at approximately 11:21 p.m. after receiving a call from the FAA in reference to a single engine aircraft that had taken off at approximately 11:00 pm.

"There was no further communication from the aircraft after takeoff.

"Officers located the aircraft in the woods just north of the runway. Two individuals were located with the aircraft and were pronounced dead at the scene."

The wreckage was found in the woods just north of the runway, with an FAA and National Transportation Safety Board investigation set to take place.

An National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said: "NTSB is investigating the February 15 crash of a Rockwell AC11 airplane near Covington, Georgia. An NTSB investigator is expected to arrive on scene this afternoon."

According to Newsweek, a preliminary accident/incident report is expected to be released within the next 24 to 48 hours, with the victims' identities not yet known to the public.