3 killed after plane taking off from NJ crashes near Maryland homes

Three people were killed when a small plane taking off from New Jersey crashed into a neighborhood in Maryland, according to authorities.

A Piper PA-28 carrying a pilot and two passengers plummeted into a residential area in Bowie around midnight on Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and Maryland State Police.

A Piper PA-28 carrying a pilot and two passengers plummeted into a residential area in Bowie around midnight on Sunday. Channel4

The possible training flight was en route from Ocean City, New Jersey, to Montgomery County Airport in Gaithersburg when the plane suddenly crashed in a wooded area close to homes, Elena Russo, spokesperson for the Maryland State Police, said at a press conference on Sunday.

The pilot and two passengers, who were all adults, were pronounced dead on the scene.

Emergency responders rushed to search for the plane after receiving an alert of a possible crash nearby, but were unable to reach the wreckage until roughly 3:45 a.m., cops said.

Officials believe the plane belongs to a Montgomery County flight school and was “possibly participating in a training flight.” Channel4

Officials believe the plane belongs to a Montgomery County flight school and was “possibly participating in a training flight,” Russo said.

Photos captured debris from the single-engine plane strewn near a playground in the city, less than 20 miles from Washington, D.C.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.