One person is dead and two others injured after a small private airplane crashed in the Long Island suburb of Lindenhurst on Sunday, police say.
The plane had taken off from Republic Airport in East Farmingdale at approximately 2:15 p.m. Shortly afterwards, the pilot issued a mayday alert, saying that the cockpit had filled with smoke.
The plane attempted to turn back to the airport but never made it, according to authorities, and crashed near the intersection of Wellwood Avenue and 5th Street in North Lindenhurst.
Names of the passengers in the plane are being withheld by police pending notification of their next of kin.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the incident.