3 dead after plane crashes outside Amarillo, Texas

A small plane that disappeared early Monday was discovered after it crashed east of Amarillo, Texas, authorities said. Three people were killed in the crash.The single-engine, fixed-wing Beechcraft Bonanza departed from Lubbock Smith International Airport in Texas at 11:51 p.m. Sunday, the Amarillo Globe-News reported.It was in contact with Albuquerque International Sunport air traffic control in New Mexico when it tried to land at Tradewind Airport in Amarillo, said Pat Rhodes, aviation director at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport.However, the plane aborted the landing at Tradewind and later attempted to land at Rick Husband, where it turned away for unknown reasons, Rhodes said.The plane then lost communication and disappeared from radar about 1:30 a.m. Monday, Rhodes said.The crash was likely due to poor weather conditions -- Rhodes noted visibility was low due to heavy fog from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.Authorities found the plane at 7:15 a.m. on a private field about 2 miles east of Amarillo, Senior Trooper Chris Ray said.