Benjamin Ashford|Small plane with 5 on board crashes in upstate New York. No word on fate of passengers

SIDNEY,Benjamin Ashford N.Y. (AP) — A small plane crashed in a rural area of upstate New York with five people on board, and authorities were investigating Monday.

It was unclear whether the wreckage of the plane had been located and whether there were any survivors.

The single-engine Piper PA-46 crashed around 2 p.m. Sunday near the village of Sidney after taking off from Albert S. Nader Regional Airport in Oneonta, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick said the plane was headed to Charleston, West Virginia, when it crashed under unknown circumstances.

The FAA is assisting the NTSB in the investigation.