RURAL RETREAT, Va. – A small plane whose pilot reported icing problems crashed in a mountainous area moments later, killing the two people on board, officials said.
The pilot reported the problems to the flight center in Atlanta at around 10:40 a.m. Sunday, said Sgt. Michael Conroy of the Virginia State Police.
A state police med-flight helicopter found the wreckage in what's known as the Crawfish area of Jefferson National Forest and guided emergency workers to the scene, Conroy said.
Based on the damage to the trees and the plane, "it looked like it went straight down," Conroy said Monday.
The victims were a man and a woman who live outside the United States.
Conroy said Federal Aviation Administration officials arrived at the scene Sunday. He expected the National Transportation Safety Board would begin investigating the crash on Monday.
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