Plane crash near Bowie homes kills three on training flight

A plane crash near Bowie homes killed three people during a late-night training flight, according to investigators. A single-engine Piper Cherokee departed around 11:30 p.m. Saturday from Ocean City, New Jersey, and was en route to Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The aircraft vanished from its expected flight path and was later located in a wooded area near Bowie at about 3:45 a.m., roughly four hours after it disappeared. All three aboard—the pilot and two passengers—were pronounced dead after rescuers found the wreckage. Investigators believe the Piper Cherokee belonged to a local flight school in Montgomery County and may have been conducting training. No injuries were reported on the ground. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation with Federal Aviation Administration involvement, and it will examine maintenance records, communications, radar, weather, and human factors.