Federal investigators are examining a fatal plane crash near Hicks Airfield after preliminary information indicated the aircraft had engine issues and turned back toward the airport.

Two people were killed Wednesday morning after a small kit plane crashed near a golf course in Petaluma, California, authorities said. A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration told NTD in an email on Thursday that the Van's RV-7A aircraft went down in an empty field shortly after taking off from the Petaluma Municipal Airport,