HEFEI, May 3 -- A light aircraft crashed in east China's Anhui Province on Sunday, killing an American and a Chinese onboard, local authorities said.

The crash happened at 12:19 p.m. in Suixi County, Huaibei City. The American pilot, who has not yet been identified, and the passenger were dead when firefighters reached the scene.

According to local police, the aircraft belonged to George Heintz Aircraft Manufacturing Co. in the central province of Henan.

The aircraft crashed within minutes after taking off at noon and caught fire.

An initial investigation shows the pilot was from the U.S. and the passenger was from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.