Iowa plane crashes in Indiana cornfield, killing 4

ANDERSON, Ind. — A single-engine plane traveling from Iowa to Indiana crashed Friday in a central Indiana cornfield, killing everyone on board, authorities said.

The plane left Fort Dodge just after 6:45 a.m. and was projected to land at Anderson Municipal Airport, which is northeast of Indianapolis, about 9:55 a.m. But it crashed into a nearby cornfield, said Capt. Darwin Dwiggins of the Madison County Sheriff's Department.

Dwiggins said the plane came in too high on its initial approach to the airport.

“They were too high. They were told to reroute and make another approach.”

He said witnesses said it appeared the pilot may have been trying to turn back toward the airport shortly before the crash. Dwiggins said one witness “described it as flipping over and just nose-diving into the cornfield and bursting into flames.”

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a preliminary statement that “four people were on board” the Piper PA-46. Dwiggins said there were no survivors.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the crash investigation, said the plane crashed “under unknown circumstances.” An NTSB investigator was expected to arrive Friday evening to begin documenting the scene and examining the aircraft.