UPDATE: 12:15 P.M. — Two people are dead after a small airplane crashed in the woods near I-95 at Churchmans Road on Sunday morning, the Delaware River and Bay Authority said.

DRBA said the aircraft, which is registered to a Philadelphia resident, took off from Runway 32 at the New Castle Airport about 8:50 a.m. The pilot then immediately notified the air-traffic control tower of an urgent need to return to the airport, DRBA said.

The aircraft crashed about two miles north of the runway in a wooded area off I-95 and Route 7 near the White Clay Medical Center, said DRBA, which operates the airport.

There were two people — the pilot and a passenger — in the aircraft and both died, DRBA and State Police said. Their names are being withheld pending notification of kin.

The aircraft, a 1965 Beech Baron twin-engine plane, sustained significant damage, DRBA said. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have been notified and were en route, DRBA said.

NTSB, an independent government agency, will investigate the crash, DRBA said.

State Police Master Cpl. Melissa Jaffe said troopers were on the scene of the crash Sunday morning. There were no road closures, but motorists were warned to expect delays due to the heavy presence of first responders in the area.

A driver on I-95 called in the crash, according to radio traffic and State Police. The tower at the New Castle Airport told dispatchers that they had lost contact with an aircraft after it requested permission to land.

First responders, which included Airport Rescue and Firefighting units, New Castle County EMS and several local fire departments, staged at White Clay Medical Center.

They were using Gators, small off-road utility vehicles, to get to the downed plane, according to radio traffic.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, which deals with hazardous chemicals and substances, was also on scene.

This is a developing story.

Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JessicaJBies.

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