Tragedy struck Covington this past weekend as a small plane crashed just after takeoff from the local municipal airport. Citing the Federal Aviation Administration, FOX 5 Atlanta reports that the incident involved a Rockwell Commander aircraft that lost communication shortly after departing at 11 p.m. on Saturday.

The Covington Police Department, having responded to the scene by 11:21 p.m., discovered the wreckage in a wooded area north of the airport's runway, as detailed in a statement. Found deceased were the only two occupants of the plane, identified as James and Janet Hardee from Covington. In the woods just north of the runway, by about 11:40 p.m., the plane was tragically located.

While the cause of the crash remains unclear, both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be conducting a thorough investigation to determine the factors that led to this fatal event. As noted by AP News, "There was no further communication from the aircraft after takeoff," a factor that investigators will likely scrutinize in their efforts to understand the crash.

Newton County, the site of the accident, lies approximately 35 miles east of downtown Atlanta. Authorities continue working on the investigation.