Several people killed in small plane crash near Wright Brothers National Memorial

Several passengers were killed when a single-engine plane crashed and burst into flames Saturday at First Flight Airport at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in North Carolina, officials said.

The accident occurred at 5 p.m. in a wooded area of ​​the airport, located near the town of Kill Devil Hills, the National Park Service (NPS) said in a press release.

“Eyewitnesses reported that the plane was attempting to land at the airport,” according to the NPS. “Following the accident, a fire broke out, causing the plane to catch fire.”

The Kill Devil Hills Fire Department and other local fire departments assisted in extinguishing the fire after the plane crashed.

OHIO JUDGE APPROVES $600 MILLION SETTLEMENT FOR RESIDENTS NEAR TRAIN DERAILMENT IN FIERY EAST PALESTINE

Nadia Popruzhenko told WVEC-TV she was driving when she spotted the plane descending.

“At first I thought he was really high, and all of a sudden he went down a little too fast,” Popruzhenko said. “This one fell so fast I thought it was too low.”

21-year-old climber falls and dies on ‘close encounters’ filming location: NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE

It’s unclear how many people were on board the plane at the time of the crash, although the NPS confirmed “multiple passengers killed.”

The airport is closed until further notice, the park service said, adding that the Wright Brothers National Memorial will be closed Sunday.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration was also notified.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Wright Brothers National Memorial was built in the area where Wilbur and Orville Wright conducted “a series of experiments that, three years later, resulted in the world’s first controlled heavier-than-air powered flight,” according to the NPS.