All 5 aboard dead after small private jet crashes and burns in rural Virginia woods, police say

RICHMOND, Va. — A small private jet crashed into the woods and burned near a small airport in rural Virginia on Sunday afternoon, killing all five people on board, police said.

The twin-engine IAI Astra 1125 crashed into trees along an airport road in Hot Springs, a community in the shadow of the Allegheny Mountains, killing the pilot and three other adults and a child, Virginia State Police said in a statement.

Police and other first responders converged on the Bath County location after the crash occurred around 3 p.m

A state police spokesman told The Associated Press that the plane caught fire on impact. Investigators were working to confirm the origin of the flight and where it flew, said Sgt. Rick Garletts said by email Sunday evening.

“Small crash site, everything is burned, which means the tail numbers are unidentifiable,” Garletts said, adding that state police were working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board to try to identify the flight data and the occupants.

An FAA statement provided no preliminary information about the circumstances of the crash and said the agency and the NTSB will investigate. Hot Springs is located about 165 miles west of Virginia’s capital, Richmond.

Local reports showed what appeared to be plumes of white smoke rising from an impact site. In the aftermath of the crash, the airport was closed.

Police said they had no further details and had no further updates planned for Sunday evening as the investigation continued.