UPDATED at 9:15 p.m. with identities of victims.
TAMPA, Fla. (WWSB) – Two people died in a crash of a small plane near Tampa Executive Airport Thursday morning, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.
The crash happened about 8:15 a.m. First units were on scene at 8:24 a.m. Deputies arrived to find the plane fully engulfed in flames.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue arrived shortly after and extinguished the fire.
The two aboard were identified as David Saimbanes, 59, and Dawn Stone, 53.
Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer addressed the community on the crash.
“We received a call of service of a plane crash at 8.17 a.m. this morning. Multiple units responded,” Maurer said.
Small plane crashes on the beach in Volusia County
“It is a tragic day for the families of the two individuals that were involved in this plane crash,” Maurer said.
Maurer said the scope of the investigation into the scene includes securing the scene for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue to extinguish the fire, and then holding the scene for the NTSB and FAA to conduct their investigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
The aircraft was a Lancair Evolution, a four-seat turboprop, registered to EKPHEUGO, LLC.
According to Flightradar24, the aircraft was scheduled to leave Tampa Executive Airport at 8:30 a.m., headed for Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
The crash site is just north of the end of runway 36.
Photos from the scene show emergency crews along an unpaved roadway and a damaged aircraft partially obscured by trees and brush.
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