An airplane crashed and burned while trying to take off from a Louisiana airport Saturday afternoon, killing three people, officials and witnesses said. Two others on board were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, The (Lafayette) Daily Advertiser reported. The crash occurred about 2:30 p.m. at Le Gros Memorial Airport in Acadia Parish. The United Press International (UPI) quoted The Beauregard Daily News as reporting the crash. Lynn Lunsford of the Federal Aviation Administration told the Daily witnesses saw the single-engine Cessna 182 lost power after climbing about 200 feet in the air. The aircraft crashed as the pilot appeared to be trying to return to the runway. The plane burst into flames and burned extensively, authorities said.
