Three people were killed in a small plane crash in western Massachusetts Sunday morning, per a Massachusetts State Police (MSP) news release.
“A twin-engine Beechcraft Baron 55 crashed in Leyden, Massachusetts, around 12:30 p.m. local time on Sunday,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shared with PEOPLE.
The victims were identified Monday as William Hampton, 68, Frederika Ballard, 53, and Chad Davidson, 29, state police said. Ballard was the Fly Lugu Flight School owner, Hampton was an instructor and Davidson was a student pilot.
Hampton, Ballard and Davidson were the only people on the flight school’s plane and were “determined to be deceased by Greenfield Firefighters and American Medical Response paramedics,” per the MSP news release. The three victims were then transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The crash occurred two hours west of Boston, near the Massachusetts-Vermont border. The MSP reports that “authorities began searching for the crash site at approximately 11:30 AM.” The search began after “Greenfield Police/Fire Dispatch received 911 calls from dog walkers in Leyden and Greenfield reporting a plane that appeared about to crash.”
“An eyewitness observed the plane enter a climb followed by a rapid descent to the ground,” National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick told PEOPLE.
Upon arrival at the crash site, the MSP Crime Scene Services processed and documented the crash site. An investigation into the crash has begun, with the MSP, Greenfield Police, Northwest District Attorney’s Office, Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board working together.
On Sunday, state troopers remained at the site to provide overnight security.
An NTSB investigator arrived at the crash site on Monday to inspect the scene and aircraft. “Electronic devices that could contain information relevant to the investigation have been sent to NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C.,” said Sulick. “The aircraft was also recovered to an offsite facility for further examination.”
“During the on-scene phase of the investigative process, the NTSB does not determine or speculate about the cause of the accident,” Sulick told PEOPLE.
She said, “A preliminary report will be available within 30 days.” However, the crash’s “probable cause” and “contributing factors” will be in the final report, “which is expected in 12-24 months.”
Additionally, the investigation will gather intel regarding the flight track data, air traffic control communications, aircraft maintenance, weather forecasts, weather and lighting conditions, witness statements, electronic devices and surveillance video, as well as the pilot’s license, ratings, recent flight experience and a 72-hour background, reports NBC 10.
Representatives for the Massachusetts State Police, Greenfield Police and Northwest District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional information on Monday.
