July 28 (UPI) — A small plane crashed early Monday in southwestern South Dakota, killing one of two occupants of the aircraft, with the second being transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The fire department in New Underwood, a city of some 538 people located about 150 miles southwest of Pierre, said in a statement it was notified of the single-engine airplane crash in the 22800 block of 159th Avenue at about 6 a.m. local time.

Upon arrival, responders located the two occupants of the plane, extracted them from the aircraft and performed emergency medical procedures, it said.

Authorities said one of the occupants was pronounced dead at the scene while the other was transported by life-flight to Monument Hospital.

The identities of the victims were not made public.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which identified the involved aircraft as a Piper PA-22-150, said it was investigating the crash.

The incident follows a weekend in which three people were killed in a small plane crash in Idaho, and three people were killed in a plane crash in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.