Three reported dead after plane crash near Saranac Lake

HARRIETSTOWN, N.Y. (ABC22/FOX44) - Three people are believed to have died after a small plane crashed near the Adirondack Regional Airport in Saranac Lake on Monday night. The crash reportedly happened shortly after the plane took off at 10:36 p.m. Monday, near New York Route 186 and McMaster Road. State police say that the aircraft lost communication with the ground right after it took off, when it was estimated to be just 100 feet off the ground. The plane was found shortly afterwards, having been destroyed in the combination of the crash and the ensuing fire. Three people - one pilot and two passengers - were aboard the plane, according to a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration. Part of the Adirondack Rail Trail nearest McMaster Road was listed as closed Tuesday as the investigation of the crash continues. The plane that crashed was listed as a Smith Aerostar 601P, a twin-engine, fixed-wing plane, certified for airworthiness in 1994. It was registered to a corporation in Toms River, New Jersey. The identities of the victims of the crash have not yet been released. This crash comes one day after a plane crash in Hamilton County that left the pilot dead. On July 9, another plane crashed into Blairs Bay on Lake George. Both passengers survived in that incident.