HOPE MILLS, N.C. (AP) --Authorities in say a small plane crashed into a home, killing two people and injuring another.

The State Highway Patrol says the single-engine civilian plane went down shortly before midnight on Thursday in Hope Mills. The pilot and an occupant of the home died at the scene, while another occupant of the residence was hospitalized with serious injuries.

The pilot was flying in and out of Fayetteville Regional Airport. Officials say the pilot reported control issues with his plane, but didn't receive a response. Moments later he crashed, less than five miles from the airport.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. Troopers and Cumberland County deputies were awaiting federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration around 4 a.m. Friday.

No identities have been released, but we're told the pilot has a wife who was in Wilmington at the time of the crash. The home is in the vicinity of U.S. Highway 301, less than 5 miles (8 kilometers) southwest of the Fayetteville Regional Airport.

Spectrum News Staff contributed to this report.