Flight school instructor and student killed in plane crash

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident

A flight instructor and a student have been killed in a plane crash in Texas.

Dallas-based instructor Francesca Norris, 25, and 22-year-old student pilot Yu Qiu were killed when their twin-engine Piper plane crashed about a quarter of mile from the runway in Gainesville in northern Texas.

The plane caught fire on impact, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Student Yu, from China, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Norris was taken to hospital but later died of her injuries.

In a statement, the US Aviation Academy said: “All of our hearts are heavy as we collectively mourn our student and instructor. Our thoughts are with their families, friends and loved ones.

“The safety of our students and instructors remains at the cornerstone of our training program and, with that in mind, we are assisting with the National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and local authorities as they investigate the accident.

“We will also be conducting our own internal investigation.”

The academy said it would provide grief counsellors for staff and students.

The NTSB said it was investigating the crash.