Belton Woman Fatally Injured in Plane Crash at Kansas Airport
Investigators are working to determine why a single-engine plane carrying two people crashed shortly after takeoff at a Kansas airport Tuesday afternoon.
Alex Gibbs with our partners at News 10 reports that a Belton woman - Darcy L. Matthews - was one of the passengers. She and Jonathan J. Vannatta of Maumelle, Arkansas were fatally injured in the crash.
KSHB-TV reports that Matthews was 43 and Vannatta was 48.
Robert A. Cronkleton with the Kansas City Star reports that plane took off around 4 PM Tuesday, December 31 from Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe, Kansas. Shortly after takeoff, the plane began to slow down and turn over. It struck several trees before hitting the ground in a field east of the runway and catching fire.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Eric Weiss told KSHB-TV the investigation could take some time, as smaller aircraft do not typically contain a black box. Agents will try to piece together what happened using other electronics aboard the aircraft.