Three Fort Worth residents died Saturday afternoon when their plane crashed within a minute after taking off from a private Kaufman County airstrip, witnesses said.

Shelley Bradley said she was standing near the airstrip along County Road 4072 near the city of Kemp when she noticed that the plane appeared to be in trouble when it lost airspeed.

“He took off and the wind changed,” Ms. Bradley said. “He should have banked to the right but he banked to the left.”

The pilot tried to correct the direction of plane as it plummeted toward the open field below.

“He was flapping his wings as if he was saying goodbye, but then we realized he was in trouble,” Ms. Bradley said.

The plane immediately burst into flames when it crashed about 3 p.m. and black smoke quickly rose from the accident scene.

Authorities were investigating Saturday, trying to determine the cause of the crash.

WFAA-TV

The plane immediately burst into flames when it crashed about 3 p.m.

Kaufman County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Bryan Francis said his agency was notified about the plane crash at 3:40 p.m. Authorities discovered that the three people died at the crash, in the southern part of Kaufman County

Several volunteer fire departments, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Federal Aviation Administration were all notified, Sgt. Francis said.

Kemp resident Ray Andrews was at the Indian Oaks Golf Course a few miles from the crash site when golfers told him that they heard a loud explosion and saw smoke. Mr. Andrews got into a golf cart and went near the crash site.

“There was still fire,” Mr. Andrews said early Saturday evening. “It doesn’t even resemble a plane.”

The plane’s debris scattered at least 20 feet and the wings and cockpit were charred, he said.

The pilot, his wife and son, all from Fort Worth, had just left a monthly aviation meeting with friends.

“They said bye and we’ll see you next month at our meeting,” Mrs. Bradley recalled the pilot saying before he jumped into the plane. “Five minutes before, I was talking to him and telling him that he had big feet.”

Arthur Akridge, who lives along CR 4072, said he knew the pilot 10 years and considered him one of his best friends.

“It’s just awful,” Mr. Akridge said.

Staff writer Tiara M. Ellis contributed to this report.