XI'AN, March 30 -- A trainee pilot and his coach were killed when their trainer aircraft crashed in farmland in northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Wednesday morning.

The crash happened at around 10:30 a.m. in Yanjia Village, Qianyang County. Nobody was hurt on the ground.

The local government identified the victims as a 27-year-old trainee and a 32-year-old male coach in an aircraft owned by Shaanxi Phoenix International Flying College Co. It was used to train pilots for regional airlines.

Witnessed said they saw the aircraft, with "Phoenix Flying College" written on its body, spin out of control and hit the ground.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is under way.