US: Plane used for skydiving crashes in New York, leaves 1 dead

NEW YORK: One person has died after a plane, used for skydiving, crashed in Niagara County, New York on Saturday, reported CNN.

Following the incident, New York officials launched an investigation on Saturday.

The single-engine Cessna 208B, a plane that was used for skydiving, crashed near Lake Road near Youngstown, New York, shortly before 1 pm, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

The aeroplane from the Skydive the Falls skydiving centre had released all divers and was heading back to land when it crashed, according to a news release from the Niagara County Sheriff's Office on Saturday, as reported by CNN.

A spokesperson for the FAA, Tammy L. Jones, said that the pilot, who was the only person on board, was conducting parachute operations prior to the crash.

However, it is still unclear how many divers were on board before the crash, Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti said at a news conference on Saturday.

Later, a brush fire also reportedly began around the crash site, according to the release.

The initial responding crew had to put out "a significant fire at that point," Filicetti said.

The sheriff called the plane-crash">plane crash "an unfortunate incident" and added that local and federal law enforcement partners are working to determine what led to the crash.

"Well, I think this is like any other emergency-type incident...You get here, you want to try to preserve life. Unfortunately, in this case, we couldn't do that," Filicetti said.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigator is expected to be travelling to the crash site on Saturday, NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson told CNN.

The investigator will further document the aeroplane wreckage, which will then be moved to a secure facility for further evaluation, Knudson mentioned.

The investigation will involve three primary areas, including, the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment, CNN reported.