Two people died in a plane crash in the Ozarks in Missouri and a third person sustained severe injuries.
According to officers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the incident occurred on Thursday, July 13, at around 12:15 pm.
The ill-fated aircraft had just taken off from Lee C. Fine Airport in the picturesque Lake of the Ozarks State Park. However, shortly after departure, the plane crashed into the tree line of an abandoned golf course.
Eyewitnesses recounted hearing a thunderous noise akin to a resounding boom, as described by officials from the Osage Beach Fire Protection District. It took search teams 45 minutes to locate the wreckage concealed in the dense undergrowth.
The pilot Hayden Ritchhart, 22, died in the crash alongside 19-year-old Evan Vandiver, and Gary Vandiver, 54, the other passenger, suffered grave injuries. Authorities have confirmed that all three victims were from the state of Missouri.
Promptly responding to the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have begun an investigation into the crash.