3 killed when private plane crashes into Maryland woods: Officials
A search-and-rescue operation for a missing private plane ended early Sunday with the discovery of three bodies in the plane’s wreckage in wooded area near a residential community in Maryland, authorities said.
The pilot and two passengers in the single-engine Piper Cherokee were pronounced dead after rescuers found the wreckage in the woods near Bowie, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC.
According to a statement from Maryland State Police, the bodies of three adult males were found.
WJLA – PHOTO: A Maryland State Police officer stands near the wreckage of a small plane that crashed and killed three people in Bowie, Maryland, on June 21, 2026.
The names of those who lost their lives were kept secret by the authorities until their relatives were notified.
“Investigators believe the plane belongs to a local flight school in Montgomery County. Police believe the plane may have been participating in a training flight,” according to a statement from state police.
WJLA – PHOTO: Maryland State Police officers investigate the wreckage of a private plane crash that killed three people in Bowie, Maryland, on June 21, 2026. (
The plane took off from Ocean City, New Jersey, around 11:30 p.m. Saturday and was headed for Montgomery County Airpark in Maryland when it crashed, according to state police.
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About 15 minutes after the plane took off, an iPhone crash alert was received by Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications stating that a crash had occurred near where Routes 50 and 301 connect in the Bowie area.
WJLA – PHOTO: Yellow police tape surrounds a playground where a small plane crashed, killing all three people on board, on June 21, 2026, in Bowie, Maryland.
Authorities said that land and air search efforts were started immediately with the participation of many agencies.
The wooded area where the crash occurred is “near a residential area” in Bowie, according to state police.
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No injuries were reported on the ground.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.
ABC News’ Cate Bouvet contributed to this report.
