Six killed in private plane crash near Virginia airport

FREDERICKSBURG, Va., Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Six people were killed when a small private plane crashed near an airport in Virginia on Friday, police said.

The Washington Post reports the plane was trying to land at the Shannon Airport in Fredericksburg when police said it reached the end of the runway and pulled back up before it banked left and crashed into trees around nearby railroad tracks.

"It attempted to abort the landing and take off again," Virginia State Police Sgt. F.L. Tyler said, according to CNN. "It then went off the south end of the runway and then landed in the tree line."

Officials said the plane caught fire upon striking the trees. Rescue workers were able to recover all six burned bodies.

The identities of the passengers were not released, but officials said all six were from out of state.

State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said the cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.