Pilot killed in small plane crash near regional airport in Florida

The pilot of a small plane was killed after the single-engine aircraft crashed near Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida, officials said on Monday.

Witnesses reported that the aircraft struck a power line before crashing onto the roadway, the Titusville Fire Department said.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), one of the agencies investigating the case, has identified the aircraft as a Mooney M20F airplane, a four-seater propeller plane. The pilot was the only individual aboard the aircraft, officials said.

Video of the incident shows a fiery crash on a road that has been closed on both sides.

The incident happened off the east coast of the state, 40 miles (64 km) due east of Orlando, around 10:00 EST (15:00 BST), according to local police.

Due to the "nature of the crash," officials have not yet been able to positively identify the pilot, the fire department said.

The Titusville Police Department said that power was cut off in the nearby areas as a precaution by Florida Power and Light. Restoration of electrical service is expected to take a few hours.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also assisting in the investigation.

Five people were killed and five others seriously injured when the plane, a Boeing 767-300, ploughed across a road beyond the runway and hit several vehicles on the ground.

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