Two dead in traffic accident in south Kansas City

A man and a woman died when a small propeller plane crashed as it took off from the Wheeler Downtown Airport Sunday afternoon.Authorities said the single-engine Mooney airplane was leaving the airport about 2:45 p. m. when it crashed on the south side of the levee about a quarter-mile from the runway.Lynn Lunsford, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, says the pilot reported engine trouble shortly after departing the airport. He says the plane crashed about a quarter mile from the airport. FAA records show the plane was registered to Air McRoyal, of Youngstown, Ohio.Family members have confirmed the identities an Ohio couple killed in a small-engine plane crash near the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport on Sunday as John K. Lallo and his wife, Diana.