The two men who died in a plane crash at Camden Municipal Airport on Sunday have been identified as Arkansas National Guardsmen.
One of the pair, 42-year-old Rufus Ferron Brown of Arkadelphia, served as a helicopter maintenance test pilot for the Arkansas National Guard, spokesman Zac Lehr said in a news release. Brown is survived by his wife and three children.
The other guardsman, 31-year-old Justin Levon Ashley of North Little Rock, served as a helicopter pilot. He is survived by his wife and two children.
The release said the men were not on duty at the time of the crash. It happened around 6:45 p.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, according to a statement from the Ouachita County sheriff's office.
The six-seat plane taxied to the north end of the Harrell Field runway, took off heading south and suddenly made a U-turn as soon as its wheels left the ground, said sheriff's office Capt. Adam LaDuke.
"It's hard to figure out what happened," LaDuke said. "It made that hard turn left to come back. You can assume it was mechanical failure, but right now all it is is assumptions."
Camden Fire Chief Rob Metford said firefighters were called to the airport at 6:52 p.m., and the craft was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. Firefighters extinguished the blaze with foam and recovered the two bodies, he said.
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Kenneth Heard contributed to this story.