2 die when small plane crashes at southeast Michigan airport

HOWELL, Mich. – Authorities say two people died when a small plane crashed in southeastern Michigan.

Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy said in a news release that the single-engine Aero Commander M200 aircraft was landing at Spencer J. Hardy Airport near Howell when it crashed Tuesday morning. The Federal Aviation Administration gave a conflicting account, saying the plane was taking off when it crashed.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

Murphy says the two people aboard were both killed. Their names haven’t been released.

The Livingston Daily Press & Argus reports that a British company, Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc., appears to have registered the aircraft with the FAA. The company helps non-citizens register their planes in the U.S.

Howell is about 45 miles (70 kilometres) northwest of Detroit.