Three killed in Maryland plane crash near Bowie

Three people were killed late Saturday night when a single-engine plane crashed in a wooded area near a residential neighborhood in Bowie, Maryland. The aircraft, a Piper Cherokee, was traveling from Ocean City, New Jersey, to Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Maryland, authorities said.

Maryland State Police reported that the crash occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 20. The bodies of three adult men, the pilot and two passengers, were recovered from the wreckage and pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities have not been released pending notification of relatives.

The search for the aircraft was initiated after Prince George's County Public Safety Communications received an automatic iPhone crash alert shortly after the plane took off. The alert indicated a crash near the intersection of Routes 50 and 301 in Bowie. A multi-agency ground and aerial search was launched, and the wreckage was discovered early Sunday morning behind a townhouse complex and playground.

Authorities stated the aircraft is believed to belong to a local flight school in Montgomery County and may have been on a training flight. Maryland State Police spokeswoman Elena Russo noted the...