Plane crashes in New Mexico and Alabama killed 9 people on Sunday, authorities said.
Five people died when a Cessna 206 crashed at a small airport in Santa Rosa, N.M.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig said the plane crashed almost immediately after takeoff Sunday from Santa Rosa Route 66 Airport.
He said the pilot did not contact air traffic control.
Santa Rosa police Sgt. Lorenzo Mata said the plane caught fire after crashing.
Federal authorities were investigating.
In Alabama, a sheriff said four people died after a small plane crashed shortly after takeoff about 40 miles north of Birmingham.
Walker County Sheriff Mark Tirey identified three victims as car dealer Bobby Crump, his wife, Jan, and their son, Matthew, a University of Alabama student. The fourth victim was a family friend whose name has not been released. Authorities don't know what caused the crash.
Tirey said the plane was bound for the Alabama coast it went down about 8 a.m. Sunday in a wooded area not far from the Walker County Airport in Jasper.
According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the plane was a twin-engine Beechcraft BE-55. Crump was a licensed pilot.
Federal investigators were sent to the scene.
On Saturday, a small plane crashed near Las Vegas, killing four people and starting a fire that threatened homes.
