Pilot killed as small plane crashes and burns on doorstep of shopping center in Texas

PLANO, Texas — A small plane crashed and burned outside a Texas mall on Tuesday, killing the pilot and setting fire to a nearby car, but no one on the ground was injured, authorities said.

The single-engine Mooney M20, with only the pilot on board, crashed north of Air Park-Dallas Airport around 6 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Photos from the scene showed the wreckage in a parking lot next to a nail salon and restaurant just outside the mall in the Dallas suburb of Plano.

The crash caught a parked car on fire, but no one was in the vehicle, authorities said.

Police confirmed that the pilot died at the scene.

The cause of the crash was under investigation. It was not immediately clear whether the plane was taking off or trying to land at the small suburban airport, which has a single runway.