OCALA, Fla. – A plane crashed into an SUV, leaving at least two people dead and causing road closures in Ocala Thursday morning, according to the police department.
The crash was reported around 11:45 a.m. in the area of Southwest College Road and State Road 200.
Police said two people inside the plane died at the scene. Their names have not been released.
An elderly man in the SUV was taken to a nearby hospital as a trauma alert, police said. Details on his condition were not immediately available.
All lanes on State Road 200 have reopened after fatal plane crash in Ocala.
Marion County School District officials sent a message to parents, letting them know delays in buses are likely for many schools Thursday afternoon.
"All traffic in that area of State Road 200 in Ocala is being diverted around the crash site. This means many buses will be late this afternoon through no fault of their own," a school district official said in a voice message to parents.
Shortly after noon Thursday, Sky 6 helicopter video showed a gray SUV with a smashed windshield and damage to its front end. Remnants of the destroyed plane were in a grassy area.
Officials said the plane was local and took off from the Ocala airport, but have not provided any other details about the aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board gave an update on the crash Friday afternoon.
According to the NTSB, a pilot and a mechanic were onboard the plane during a maintenance flight.
"According to witnesses -- the plane flew over the shopping mall off SR 200 and took a shallow turn back towards the airport before crashing," Aaron McCarter, NTSB Air Safety Investigator said. "Pilot did not make mayday call - instead said he radioed that he wanted to return to the airport"
The NTSB said there was some issue with the fuel monitoring unit and that they have information that it was replaced. The mechanic rode along with the pilot to observe the work.
Investigators said they will continue to look into pilot's qualification records, engine, and weather.
The NTSB is expected to be in the area for the next 3 days and their preliminary report can be expected in 10 days.
Investigators have not released the identities of the pilot or mechanic.
This is a developing story. Stay with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates.