3 Killed After Small Plane Crashes Near Neighborhood Playground

Three people were killed after a small plane that had taken off from New Jersey crashed into a Maryland neighborhood around midnight Sunday, authorities said.

The aircraft, a Piper PA-28, was carrying a pilot and two passengers when it went down in a residential area in Bowie, Maryland, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and Maryland State Police.

All three people on board were adults. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The plane was traveling from Ocean City, New Jersey, to Montgomery County Airport in Gaithersburg, Maryland, when it suddenly crashed in a wooded area near homes, Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo said during a Sunday press conference.

Officials said the plane may have been connected to a Montgomery County flight school and was “possibly participating in a training flight.”

Emergency crews began searching for the aircraft after receiving an alert about a possible crash nearby, but responders were not able to reach the wreckage until about 3:45 a.m., police said.

Photos from the scene showed debris from the single-engine plane scattered on the ground near a playground in Bowie, which is located less than 20 miles from Washington, D.C.

Authorities have not yet released the names of the pilot or passengers.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into what caused the crash.