3 killed in small plane crash near homes in Maryland

Three people were killed when a small plane crashed into a wooded area near homes in Maryland, authorities said. The wreckage was found several hours after an iPhone crash alert notified emergency dispatchers.

The crash happened late Saturday night in Bowie, a city in Prince George’s County, about 15 miles northeast of Washington, D.C. The aircraft was found in a wooded area off Scarlet Oak Court, close to a residential area and behind a playground.

Maryland State Police said the plane, a single-engine Piper Cherokee, was traveling from Ocean City, New Jersey, to Montgomery County Airpark with a pilot and two passengers on board when it crashed for reasons still unknown.

“The three occupants, all adults, were declared deceased at the scene by EMS personnel,” Elena Russo, a spokeswoman for Maryland State Police, said at a briefing. Their names have not been released pending notification of relatives.

Russo said investigators believe the plane belonged to a local flight school in Montgomery County and may have been participating in a training flight. It was not immediately known what happened between its departure from New Jersey and the crash in Bowie.

An iPhone crash alert was received by Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications at about 11:53 p.m., indicating a crash in the area of Route 50 and Route 301, according to state police. A ground and aerial search was launched by the Prince George’s County Fire Department, Maryland State Police and other local agencies.

The aircraft was not found until about 3:45 a.m., nearly four hours after the alert. Russo said it was dark and there were no lights in the area, making the search more difficult.

“The only notification we received… was that iPhone crash alert,” Russo said. She added that authorities do not currently have information from eyewitnesses or anyone who reported hearing anything.

The debris field covered about 100 feet in the wooded area. Russo said the crash site was “very close” to a townhome community and behind a playground.

“It could have been even worse because of the proximity of the crash,” Russo said. “It was literally right next to a townhome community in Bowie.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will lead the investigation.