San diego: Authorities are investigating a fatal plane crash at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego, US, after a Cessna 172 crashed and caught fire, killing two people on board, ABC 10 reported Wednesday. New video and witness accounts are providing additional details about the moments before and after Monday evening's crash.

According to Anadolu Agency, witnesses Mauricio Godinez and Melizza Cardiel were at a nearby hangar when they heard the impact. "We heard this loud boom. She peeks out, she tells me a plane crashed. I peek outside, and yes, a plane definitely crashed," Godinez said. The pair rushed toward the burning aircraft to help but were forced to retreat because of the intense flames. "The flames were just too much. If we would have gotten in there, we would have gotten burned ourselves," Cardiel said.

The flight was an instructional one conducted with an instructor and a student pilot. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US government agency responsible for regulating US civil aviation, said in its preliminary report that the crash happened during landing after the aircraft's left wing dipped. The plane appeared to stall before spinning into the ground.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates transportation accidents, said the aircraft was attempting a go-around, a maneuver in which a pilot aborts a landing and climbs back into the air. Commercial pilot and flight instructor Robert Katz, who has nearly 45 years of experience, reviewed publicly available air traffic control communications and FlightAware data. Katz said there were no distress signals before the crash. "There was no hint of any trouble, no emergency declared, but the winds were reported as strong just before this incident occurred," he said.

The identities of the victims have not been released. The NTSB is leading the investigation, with a preliminary report typically expected within weeks. A full investigation can take one to two years.