Niagara County, NY: An investigation is launched after a plane used for skydiving crashed fatally

CNN
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New York State authorities launched an investigation on Saturday after one person was killed when a small plane crashed in Niagara County.

The single-engine Cessna 208B – an aircraft used for skydiving – crashed just before 1 p.m. near Lake Road near Youngstown, New York, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration

The Skydive the Falls skydiving center’s plane had dropped off all divers and was on its way back to land when it crashed, according to a news release from the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday.

The pilot, who was the only person on board, was performing parachute operations before the crash, Tammy L. Jones, an FAA spokeswoman, told CNN on Saturday.

It is unclear how many divers were on board before the crash, Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti said at a press conference on Saturday.

A bush fire also broke out at the crash site, the press release said. The rescue team had to extinguish “a large fire at that point,” Filicetti said.

The sheriff called the plane crash an “unfortunate incident,” adding that local and federal law enforcement agencies are working to determine the cause of the crash.

“Well, I think this is like any other emergency incident. … When you come here, you want to try to save lives. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that in this case,” Filicetti said.

A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator is expected to travel to the crash site on Saturday, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson told CNN.

The investigator will document the plane’s wreckage, which will then be taken to a secure facility for further examination, Knudson said. The investigation will cover three main areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment.

The pilot’s name has not been released pending notification of his family, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

CNN has contacted the sheriff’s office for comment.