WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A plane carrying 20 people crashed in the US state of Tennessee on Sunday, with some on board taken to hospital for injuries, according to state and federal officials.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol said on X that its troopers were assisting police “at the scene of a plane crash on Old Shelbyville Road” in the central Coffee County.

“Some have been airlifted to nearby hospitals. This is an active scene,” it said, adding that more updates would follow.

Pictures on social media showed a small, white plane with its nose buried into the grass and its tail broken off behind it.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the plane was a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, and that it “crashed shortly after departing Tullahoma Regional Airport in Tennessee around 12:45 pm local time (1745 GMT) on Sunday”.

“Twenty people were on board. The FAA is investigating.”

Local media reported that the crashed plane was used for skydiving expeditions.