Small plane crash kills two near Southampton, N.Y.

Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Two people died and a third was injured when a small plane crashed at an airport near Southampton, N.Y., officials said.

The pilot and one passenger were killed in Sunday afternoon's crash. The owner of the plane, identified by Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman as Richard Rosenthal, was aboard the plane, but survived and was hospitalized. Officials have not released the names of the other two passengers.

The plane had military markings and emblems, but was privately owned, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The aircraft was a Navion F single-engine plane, made after World War II and one of the few examples of the model still flying. It is regarded as a hard-to-fly plane for beginners, Ron Judy of the American Navion Society told The New York Times. The level of experience of the plane's pilot is unknown.

The plane was practicing takeoffs and landings at the Francis S. Gabreski Airport, a small airport owned by Long Island's Suffolk County. Chief Michael Sharkey of the county sheriff's office said it crashed into a field of trees adjacent to the runway.

An FAA spokesperson said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead an investigation into the crash.