Five dead and four injured in Louisiana plane crash

Five people died and four were injured when a private airplane crashed shortly after takeoff from the Lafayette Regional Airport in Louisiana this morning.

The eight-passenger Piper aircraft was headed to DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta. It reached only 375 feet in altitude when it came down around 9:20 a.m, taking out powerlines and hitting an occupied vehicle, KLFY reports. The impact blew out the windows of a nearby post office.

The individuals who died in the crash are:

• Ian E. Biggs, 51, the plane’s pilot
• Robert Vaughn Crisp II, 59
• Carley Ann McCord, 30
• Gretchen D. Vincent, 51
• Michael Walker Vincent, 15

McCord was a freelance sports reporter and the daughter-in-law of Louisiana State University offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger. The passengers were headed to the Peach Bowl to watch LSU play Oklahoma.

One passenger who survived the crash, Stephen Wade Berzas, 37, and three bystanders, including one from the vehicle and two from the post office, were transported to local hospitals. Berzas is in critical condition. Conditions of the bystanders are not known.

Authorities from the National Transportation Safety Board will be on the scene tonight to investigate the crash.