Plane Crash Takes Eight Lives

Owatonna, MNA small jet plane crashed on Thursday, killing at least eight people. The plane crashed while attempting to land among strong thunderstorms in Owatonna. It had flown from Atlantic City, NJ to the small city and crashed into a cornfield near the airport. According to news reports, up to an hour before the plane crash, gusts of winds as strong as 72 miles per hour were reported in Owatonna.

The plane involved in the crash was a Raytheon Hawker 800 and was used as a charter jet. According to a witness, the plane touched down on the runway, then became airborne again, rolled and crashed.

The National Transportation Safety Board is now on site investigating the plane crash. Among factors to be investigated are the weather, the plane's structure and its control systems, and the two pilots' experience. A cockpit voice recorder has been recovered and is said to be in good condition. The Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI are also investigating the crash.

Six passengers and two pilots were killed in the crash, while two other people expected on the plane did not board. Seven victims died at the scene while one died later in hospital.