LOS ANGELES, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Two people aboard a small plane were killed when it crashed in western U.S. state of Utah on Friday, authorities said.

The crash happened at approximately 11:22 a.m. local time (1722 GMT) in Grover, a community in southwestern Wayne County in southern Utah.

Witnesses said the aircraft disappeared from their view and then they heard an explosion and saw smoke.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on its Twitter page on Friday evening that the agency is investigating the crash of the Cirrus SR22 aircraft in Grover.