A plane crash in South Dakota on Saturday claimed the lives of at least nine people, including the pilot and two children. The remaining three passengers on the Idaho-bound flight have been transported to medical facilities in Sioux Falls and are reportedly in critical condition, according to CBS News affiliate KELO.
The plane, a Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turboprop passenger aircraft, went down about a mile southwest of the Chamberlain airport. It had taken off a little before noon and was headed to Idaho Falls Regional Airport. As many as 12 people are believed to have been on board.
The area where the crash occurred is currently under a winter storm warning, according to the National Weather Service, with heavy snow and wind gusts as high as 45 mph.
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The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that investigators are on the way to the accident site. The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct the investigation.
CBS News’ Kris Van Cleave reports the NTSB plans to send a team of three to the scene but, given the current conditions, they are not sure when investigators will reach the crash site. The NTSB hopes to get them to Sioux Falls sometime tomorrow, but some of the roads the investigators would need to access are currently closed due to severe weather.
