Single-engine plane down in Shenandoah Valley

RAPHINE—A small, single-engine plane crashed in a field on the Augusta/Rockbridge county line early Sunday, killing all aboard, state police said.

Around 10 a.m. the Pilatus PC-12 crashed in a field near a wooded area on the Virginia Tech-owned McCormick farm in Raphine, said Virginia State Police Sgt. R.J. Carpentieri. The crash left a debris field about 100 yards long and several hundred yards wide. While the number of passengers on the plane was unknown, police said there were no survivors.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the plane was flying at 32,000 feet just before going down. Todd Gunther, from the office of Aviation Safety at the NTSB, said will take his office five to seven days of field investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

Gunther said his office will be examining plane performance, possible mechanical malfunction, weather conditions, pilot condition and air traffic.