CANBERRA, July 7 (Xinhua) -- A pilot and a passenger have been killed in a light plane crash in South Australia (SA), authorities have confirmed.
Emergency services were called to the site near a small airport in SA's far north on Saturday night.
Police confirmed that the 59-year-old male pilot and his 48-year-old female passenger, both from Queensland, were killed.
The aircraft left William Creek Airport at approximately 4 p.m. local time and crashed into scrubland on approach to Leigh Creek Airport, 539 kilometers north of Adelaide, according to local media report on Sunday.
An investigation into what caused the crash will be conducted by Recreational Aviation Australia (RAA) with assistance from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
"Our investigation will consider environmental, mechanical and human factors," RAA chief executive Michael Linke told News Corp Australia.
News Corp reported that the deceased duo were planning to meet friends at Leigh Creek and stay there for the night.
A temporary air exclusion zone with a one kilometer radius has been established around the scene and will remain in place until Monday morning.
Peter Thompson, the manager of a caravan park in Leigh Creek, was at a campsite when he spotted the plane shortly before it went down.
"We saw a green light, assuming it was the wing of a plane, to the north of Leigh Creek," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC),
"It turned and headed back towards Leigh Creek, then it turned again to head to the airport.
"There was very little engine noise and the next thing we know the emergency services are at the airport."
