Small plane crashes near northeast Florida fireworks stand

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Police say a single-engine plane towing an advertising banner has crashed into a parking lot near a small northeast Florida airport, killing the pilot.

The plane crashed Saturday morning about 25 yards from a fireworks stand in a parking lot near Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport.

Lt. Shannon Douberly of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says the plane appeared to have just taken off from the municipal airport.

James Alford tells The Florida Times-Union (http://bit.ly/uacgpj) that he was buying fireworks when the plane "just seemed to drop from nowhere" onto his pickup truck.

The banner had been dropped over the airport property.

The pilot's name has not been released.

Police say the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.