Plane crashes in Westchester county, deaths reported

One pilot and one passenger were found dead after a small plane crashed Thursday near New York's Westchester County Airport, authorities said Friday.

A single engine jet lost total radio contact with the airport  and went off the radar around 5:30 p.m., police said. The plane was located in a wooded area near the airport just before 11 p.m., county spokesperson Catherine Cioffi said Friday morning.

Police and County officials have not yet identified the people or explained the route. 

The plane, which is a Beechcraft Bonanza BE36, took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens at 4:58 p.m., said Kieran O'Leary, spokesperson for the county police. Its initial destination was Cuyahoga County Airport in Richmond Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.

The pilot reported to JFK airport that he had a warning light for low oil pressure at 5:25 p.m. and JFK's command advised him to go to Westchester County Airport.

O'Leary said the search began in the area of the airport and over the Connecticut border into Greenwich. Dive teams were staged due to the airport's proximity to Westchester County's Rye Lake and a reservoir.

Because Thursday's weather was rainy and the area around the airport is heavily wooded, foot searches were also ongoing and drones from various agencies were being deployed, O'Leary said.