A small plane trying to return to a suburban Long Island airport after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit crashed on Sunday, killing one person and critically injuring the two others aboard, officials said.
No injuries were reported on the ground.
The Piper PA 28 crashed shortly before 3 pm while returning to attempt an emergency landing at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, about 20 miles (32 kilometres) east of New York City, authorities said.
Suffolk County Police said the single-engine plane had taken off from the same airport at 2:18 pm and the pilot issued a mayday signal a short time later, indicating there was smoke in the cockpit.
