TWO people have died after a plane crash landed in the woods just minutes after taking off.

The light aircraft left Georgia’s Covington Municipal Airport under darkness on Saturday night but was only in the air for 20 minutes before the fatal plunge.

Both people on board died instantly in the crash, officials believe.

The single engine aircraft left the Georgia airport just after 11pm, according to the Covington Police Department.

Newton County officers were quickly alerted to fears over the aircraft when it appeared on tracking data to be in free fall.

They added that at around 11:21pm they received a phone call from the FAA who had concerns after an small plane that lost all communication shortly after takeoff.