No survivors found after small plane crash near Kansas airport

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Authorities said that no survivors were found after a small plane crashed near an airport in Kansas on Sunday. Olathe Fire Department Capt. Mike Hall said they were called to the scene at 10:20 a.m., where they found a single-engine plane “fully engulfed” in flames in a field north of Johnson County Executive Airport. The plane, a Piper Meridian Turbo Prop, was en route to Albuquerque. Kansas Highway Patrol spokeswoman Trooper Tiffany Bush said the plane looked like it could seat about five or six people but it was unclear how many people were on board.

The plane was attempting to take off at the time of the crash but slammed into the ground and burst into flames; the flames then sparked a small grass fire a few acres wide, which firefighters extinguished. The runway remained closed Sunday afternoon, but was planning to reopen once the National Transportation Safety Board removed the wreckage.

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