3 killed in small plane crash in southern West Virginia

LANSING, W.Va. (AP) — A small plane crashed Sunday in southern West Virginia, killing three Virginia residents on board, authorities said.

The single-engine Beechcraft C23 went down after taking off from the Fayette Airport in Fayetteville at about 11 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

State police Capt. R.A. Maddy told news outlets that the wreckage was found near a barn in the rural community of Lansing, a few miles from the New River Gorge Bridge about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Charleston. The bodies were found inside the plane.

State police identified the victims as Nick Fletcher, 38; Michael Taphouse, 36; and Wesley Farley, 39. All were from the Chesapeake, Virginia, area.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.