Two die in jet crash

Two people were killed when a small business jet crashed while taking off from Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles today, federal officials said.

The remains of two people were located in the burned wreckage, said Fire Department spokesman Ron Myers. The plane had been carrying only its two crew members, said Joe Miller, a dispatcher with Sun Quest Executive Air Charter, which operated the plane.

Little remained of twin-engine Cessna Citation after the crash but smouldering ruins in a field near the San Fernando Valley airport. No structures appeared to be damaged.

The plane had been leaving the airport in the Los Angeles suburbs, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said. It was headed to Long Beach, about 25 miles south of Los Angeles.

Van Nuys is the busiest general aviation airport in the US, with an average of nearly 500,000 take offs and landings annually. It is owned by the city's Los Angeles World Airports department and used by private, corporate, charter, flight instruction and maintenance operations.