A search-and-rescue operation concluded early Sunday morning after a private plane crashed into a wooded area near Bowie, Maryland, resulting in the deaths of all three people on board. The Maryland State Police confirmed that the victims, all adult males, were recovered from the wreckage of the single-engine Piper Cherokee.
Authorities stated that the aircraft departed from Ocean City, New Jersey, at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, headed for the Montgomery County Air Park. Investigators believe the plane belonged to a local flight school and was likely participating in a training flight at the time of the incident.
The crash was identified after Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications received an automated iPhone crash alert roughly 15 minutes after the plane’s takeoff. The alert directed emergency teams to an area near the intersection of routes 50 and 301, in close proximity to a residential neighborhood. No injuries were reported on the ground.
The identities of the pilot and passengers are currently being withheld pending family notification. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched a formal investigation to determine the cause of the accident.