CHANUTE — The National Transportation Safety Board says three people have died in the crash of a small plane in southeastern Kansas.

NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson says five people were aboard the twin-engine Cessna 401 when it went down around 4:30 p.m. Friday northwest of Chanute. Knudson says the eight-seat plane caught fire after the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating and says the crash occurred about seven miles northwest of Chanute. That’s a generally rural area.

Knudson says the plane was en route from Riverside, Kan., to Council Bluffs, Iowa. He said the plane lost contact with air traffic control shortly after getting permission to descend to a lower altitude.

Knudson says investigators were unaware of any distress call.

No other information about the people on board was immediately available.