Two people die when small plane crashes in eastern Missouri

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Two people died when a small plane crashed in St. Charles County shortly after taking off Saturday evening.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said the twin-engine Beechcraft Baron 58 took off from an airport in Chesterfield and climbed to roughly 8,000 feet before it started to descend sharply and crashed around 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Mary Case, the chief medical examiner for St. Charles County, said it could take several days to identify the people who died in the crash.

The NTSB is investigating the cause of the crash.