The pilot of a small plane was killed in a crash Sunday afternoon in Fauquier County, Virginia State Police said.
Simmie A. Adams, 62, was trying to land the 1975 Beechcraft plane just before 4 p.m. when it collided with several trees, causing the plane to crash into a field and catch fire, the Virginia State Police said.
Adams was the only person on the plane, and he died at the scene, police said.
The crash site is less than a mile from the Warrenton-Fauquier Airport, near the intersection of Midland and Ebenezer Church roads.
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Adams, of Bealeton, was practicing approaches at the airport, which is very routine, the NTSB said. He was a licensed pilot and was working toward a commercial certification.
Investigators with the NTSB said they're looking into whether the cause of the crash was weather-related, a pilot error or some type of malfunction on the plane.
The plane was a single-engine Beech C23, the NTSB and FAA said.
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No one on the ground was injured, officials said.
The NTSB said it planned to visit the crash site Monday to begin its investigation. Anyone who saw the crash, or who has surveillance video or other information that could be relevant, is asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
