A small plane crashed in a Long Island suburb on Sunday, killing one person and critically injuring two others aboard after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit, officials said.
The Piper PA 28 pilot had issued a mayday call shortly after takeoff and attempted to return to Republic Airport in Farmingdale, about 20 miles east of New York City, for an emergency landing, Suffolk County police said.
The single-engine plane crashed shortly before 3 p.m. in North Lindenhurst after having taken off from the same airport less than an hour earlier, police said.
The plane crashed near an intersection not far from the Long Island Rail Road track.
Video shows the plane flying low before it strikes the ground in a ball of fire and smoke.
Police said one person died at the scene while two others were airlifted to a nearby hospital.
No injuries were reported on the ground.
Authorities said the names of the victims were being withheld until family can be notified.
The Federal Aviation Administration responded to the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating to determine the cause of the crash.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
