All six people on board a small plane that crashed in upstate New York are presumed dead, authorities said Sunday.
A twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B went down around 12:15 p.m. Saturday in Copake, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Investigators initially confirmed two people were on board but later raised that number to six.
All six people are presumed dead, an anonymous official told The Associated Press on Sunday. The victims have not been publicly identified.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Federal authorities and local cops in Columbia County both responded to the initial wreck.
The plane crashed in the middle of an open field. No buildings or structures were impacted by the crash but muddy conditions slowed the initial search and rescue effort.
“It’s in the middle of a field and it’s pretty muddy so accessibility is difficult,” Columbia County Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore told reporters on Saturday.
The plane was traveling from Westchester County Airport in White Plains, according to the Albany Times-Union. Its listed owner was a Massachusetts-based company.
Saturday’s crash was the second aviation accident to kill six people in New York last week, following a helicopter crash into the Hudson River on Thursday.