Former OHP Pilot Killed In Alabama Plane Crash

Three people are dead after the plane they were riding in crashed near an airport in Huntsville, Alabama. One of the people on board was a former pilot for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

The plane caught fire Wednesday afternoon as it was attempting to depart from the Huntsville International Airport.

The FAA says the plane crashed on the northwest side of the airport, and emergency crews responded quickly to put the fire out.

All three people on board the plane died, and officials with the Huntsville International Airport say two of the people were ejected.

Overnight, we confirmed one of those passengers was Robin Smith. Smith was a long-time pilot with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and flew for both Governor David Boren, and Governor George Nigh.

The two other passengers have been identified as 57-year-old William Christopher II of Center Point, Alabama, and 67-year-old Kenneth Lynn Rousseau of Harpersville, Alabama.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are now investigating what caused the plane to crash.