A Haymarket man and a Burke man died in a small plane crash in Fluvanna County on Sunday morning, Virginia State Police said.
The men have been identified as the pilot, John W. Latham, 63, of Haymarket. Latham owned the twin-engine 1975 Rockwell Aero Commander 690A that went down in a densely wooded area about 20 miles from Charlottesville.
The other person who died is Niiben C.A. Ayivorh, 73, of Burke. The bodies have been taken to the medical examiner’s office for autopsies.
The Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia Conservation Police, and Virginia State Police found the wreckage that was still burning off Miles Jackson Road, according to Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the state police.
The two had been headed from Manassas Regional Airport to South Carolina on Sunday. At the time of the plane crash, a light rain was falling.
Multiple fire companies responded after 911 dispatchers took calls at 8:54 a.m. from residents worried about a low-flying plane and hearing what sounded like an explosion.
The cause of the plane crash remains under investigation by the state police, Federal Aviation Administration, and National Transportation Safety Board.
Feature image courtesy Virginia State Police
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