A middle-aged couple from Estero, Fla., was traveling to Connecticut Thursday when their private plane crashed in a rural community near Snow Hill.

Mark J. Sobel and his wife, Joan Wilson, died in the crash, Greene County Sheriff Lemmie Smith said Friday. Their identities were confirmed after Smith received a call from a relative, Len Baum. Identities of the victims had not been released initially.

The couple, both 56 years old, were taken from the wreck site Thursday and transported to Pitt Memorial Hospital for autopsies.

Meanwhile, officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board investigated the crash site.

"We were out there all day (Thursday and Friday) investigating the wreckage," said Dennis Diaz, air safety investigator with NTSB.

The aircraft, a 2003 LancAir IV-P model, was traveling from Fort Myers, Fla., to Hartford, Conn., Thursday when the pilot lost contact with air traffic control in Washington, D.C.

"They were in contact with air traffic control at 15,000 feet when contact was lost," Diaz said.

The plane burst into flames when it crashed in an open field off Oakdale Road in the Shine community at about 1:20 p.m. Thursday.

The cause of the crash has not been determined but will be included in reports issued by the National Transportation Safety Board. Diaz plans to post a preliminary report in five to six days on the www.ntsb.gov Web site. The final report will be released within six to nine months.

Investigators will check communications between air traffic control and the pilot to determine what was said before the crash. Weather patterns, the pilot's background and training will also be part of the investigation.

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