INDIANTOWN, Fla. – Four men were killed Thursday when a small plane crashed in a cow pasture near a luxury home development northwest of West Palm Beach, officials said.
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk went down shortly after 9 a.m. near a development of 20-acre equestrian homes known as Martin County Ranches, said Martin County Assistant Fire-Rescue Chief Henry Johnson. The crash about 50 miles from West Palm Beach was first reported by a resident in neighboring Okeechobee County, he said.
"The airport did not get a mayday call," Johnson said.
The identities of the four men killed were not immediately released. The plane was possibly on its way to Lantana, but it was not immediately clear where it had come from, he said.
The plane is registered to Rohan Aviation Inc., which is a trademark of Kemper Aviation Inc. Ashley Miles, who answered the company's dispatch line in Lantana, said there was no comment or information available.
Johnson said there was a small fire and fuel leak but both were under control shortly after rescue crews responded to the crash. No one was injured on the ground and no homes or other buildings were damaged.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Warren Woodberry said the agency is investigating the crash. He said the cause was unknown.
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