Small plane crash at Little Rock Airport, 1 killed

A small plane has crashed while trying to take off from Little Rock International Airport in Arkansas, local officials say. The pilot – who was the only person on board – was killed.

The accident happened at 1:16 p.m. on Sunday when the aircraft, a Cirrus SR22, was rolling down one of the runways and failed to take off, after which it crashed near the end of Runway 4L.

The airport is formally known as Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport.

Flight data shows that the plane was scheduled to take off for a flight to Tampa Executive Airport in Florida. The pilot – whose name has not yet been released – was the only person on board.

The pilot was killed in the crash, according to the Little Rock Fire Department.

Footage shared by other people at the airport showed a thick plume of black smoke billowing from the site of the crash. Air traffic was briefly disrupted but later resumed.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the cause of Sunday’s crash.