Missourinet media partners KTTS and KOLR confirm that two people have died in a small aircraft crash near Branson West in southwest Missouri.

Single engine plane crash in West Branson – Photo courtesy of KTTS

The crash occurred in a pasture about one mile from the Branson West airport.  In a statement, the sheriff of Stone County the two people have been identified as 52 Keith Curtis and 45-year-old Dawn Curtis, a couple from Gardner, Kansas.

The sheriff says Keith Curtis was piloting the small plane.  Both occupants were pronounced at the scene by the Stone County Coroner.

The News-Leader reports family members say Keith and Dawn got married last month, and were in the Branson area this weekend for vacation

People in the area reported viewing a plane flying very low and circling three times before it went down.  Witnesses said they could see the plane spinning in the air before it crashed.

The Southern Stone County Fire Protection District and the Stone County Sheriff’s Office investigated the scene for about three hours.

The Federal Aviation Administration from Kansas City will investigate the incident Monday to determine what caused the plane crash.

The Southern Stone County Fire Protection District posted on its Facebook page that Stone County dispatch was reporting multiple calls of an aircraft down at about 6:39 p.m.

Three people were originally reported to be victims.

Missourinet media partners KTTS and KOLR provided content for this story