2 killed in fiery small plane crash on Route 195 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts

Two people were killed when a small plane crashed onto Route 195 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts Monday morning, police said. Both sides of the highway have been shut down.

The fixed-wing plane went down on the grassy median around 8:15 a.m. and burst into flames, according to Massachusetts State Police.

The two who were killed were on the plane, police said, and one person on the ground was hurt and taken in a car to St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford. The severity of that person’s injuries is not yet known.

“No further information is available regarding the identities of the victims, the circumstances of the crash, or the timing of the roadway reopening to normal traffic,” state police spokesman Tim McGuirk said in a statement. “We offer our condolences to their families and loved ones.”

McGuirk said the plane may have been trying to land at New Bedford Regional Airport, but added that “it does not appear that the pilot provided the Airport with a flight plan.”

A photo and video on social media showed the wreckage in flames on the highway in the rain. There was also a wrecked car in the median, but it’s not known if that was involved in the crash.

“Federal Aviation Administration Officials will likely assume primary responsibility for the investigation into the circumstances of the crash,” state police said.  

It’s not clear yet if the weather was a factor. A nor’easter has been rolling through Massachusetts since Sunday, bringing heavy rain and strong wind to the region. 

Dartmouth is about 57 miles south of Boston and 28 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island.