Three killed when small plane veers off Alabama runway

(Reuters) - Three people died when a small airplane veered off a runway and caught fire at Alabama's Huntsville International Airport on Wednesday, officials said. The Westwind II plane, which seats 10 and had three people aboard, was attempting to take off when the accident occurred shortly before 2:25 p.m. CDT, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in a statement. The plane's destination was not immediately known, Bergen said. All three victims were aboard the plane, said Captain Frank McKenzie, spokesman for Huntsville Fire and Rescue. Authorities were not yet releasing their identities, he said. The FAA will investigate the incident, while the National Transportation Safety Board will determine its probable cause, Bergen said. (Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky; Editing by Edith Honan, Jim Loney and Bill Trott)