Published: November 09, 2009 03:43 pm      

Monday update: Plane crash kills 2 Leonard residents

Two Leonard residents died when the experimental airplane they were in crashed shortly after takeoff Saturday in rural Fannin County just north of Bonham.

The planes pilot, William Pearson, and passenger, Linda Wingo, both of Leonard, were killed in the crash Saturday morning.

The homemade aircraft reportedly had just taken off when it crashed at 8:02 a.m. behind a house off of Highway 78 and burst into flames on impact. The pair were pronounced dead at the scene by a Fannin County Justice of the Peace.

The initial investigation indicated the plane lost power and the engine had to be restarted once the plane was in the air. It then lost power again leading to the crash

The accident is being investigated by the NTSB, the DPS and the Fannin County Sheriffs Office.