UPDATED: Investigation Begins Into Deadly Augusta Plane Crash

***UPDATED at 1:14 AM on July 19th***

 National Transportation Safety Board investigators arrived at Augusta Regional Airport late Monday afternoon and quickly began searcing for clues as to why Dr. Thomas Wilson's 1979 Mooney M20K crashed near the back of the airport.

Investigators say it appears moments after the plane took off, Dr. Wilson reported a problem from inside the cockpit. Officials at the airport say it looks as though the pilot was trying to circle back around to land...but didn't make it.

Kevin Wilson was at the nearby Lock and Dam, he says he saw the whole thing...

Kevin Wilson, witness: "I'd seen the plane take off in the sky and all of a sudden, I heard something blow up and a piece of metal came out and the plane crashed into a ball of fire."

Crash investigators say they're taking pictures and preserving any key evidence they can find at the crash site...adding this is in the very early stages of their investigation.

We will continue to follow this  investigation and we will provide more information as it becomes available.

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***UPDATED at 6:14 PM on July 18th***

A single-engine plane was taking off from Bush Field, at Augusta Regional Airport, on Monday, when it crashed.

Authorities tell us only one person was on board the 1979 Mooney M20K plane when it took off, and that person. the pilot, is dead.

The plane is registered to Dr. Thomas Wilson of Mooresville, North Carolina. Augusta Regional Airport officials say the plane took off from the main runway around noon and then crashed about 100 yards away from a secondary runway.

Those who witnessed the crash say the plane burst into flames shortly after it left the runway.

Kevin Wilson, witness: "I was working down at the docks by Lock and Dam and I took my lunch break and I'd seen the plane take off in the sky and all of a sudden, I heard something blew up and a piece of metal came out and the plane crashed into a ball of fire."

Right now, marshals and airport emergency crews are on scene waiting for the Federal Avaition Administration (FAA) investigators. Airport officials say air traffic has not been affected by the crash.

That plane is the same one that made an emergency landing at Augusta Regional Airport, during Masters Week, on April 11th. Back then, Dr. Wilson said he was tired and forgot to put down his landing gear...landing the plane on its belly and causing serious damage.

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***UPDATED at 4:19 PM on July 18th***

 Richmond County Grover Tuten has a released a statement in which he identifies the victim in a deadly plane crash in Augusta on Monday.

Read the release below:

"At 12:21 p.m., today,  a single engine plane crashed at the south end of Augusta Regional Airport shortly after taking off from the airport. The pilot was Dr. Thomas Wilson of Mooresville, N.C., a 53 year old male who was also the owner of the aircraft. The aircraft was a 1979 Mooney, single engine aircraft. Dr. Wilson was pronounced dead at 1400 [2:00 p.m.] hours on the scene. The body is at the Augusta Crime Lab where a required autopsy is being preformed. The FAA and NTSB are on the scene and have started to investigate this accident."

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***UPDATED at 3:09 PM on July 18th***

This is not the first time this plane has been involved in an incident in Augusta.

According to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, on April 11, 2011 the plane landed with its landing gear still in the Up position. The plane had taken off from Lafayette, Louisiana. The pilot, Dr. Thomas S. Wilson of Mooresville, North Carolina noted heavy fog in the area of the flight's destination which was in Waynesboro, Georgia. The report says that Dr. Wilson made two approaches in Waynesboro before being diverted to Augusta. Dr. Wilson is also listed as the plane's owner.

Click here to read that report. (ADOBE Reader required)

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***UPDATED at 2:34 PM on July 18th***

Richmond County Coroner Grover Tuten confirms to WJBF News Channel 6 that one person in the plane is dead. There was only one person aboard the planes when it crashed.

The plane is a 1979 Mooney M20K, which is a single-engine fixed wing plane. The plane is registered in Mooresville, North Carolina.

We are told the plane crashed during takeoff.

Click here to see pictures of the plane taken in March.

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***UPDATED at 1:55 PM on July 18th***

Augusta Regional Airport director Diane Johnston confirms that a small plane has crashed and burned just off the runway.

She says the single-engine plane was taking off from the main runway when it crashed. There is no information yet on the plane's occupants or destination, but the Richmond County Coroner is on the scene.

We will provide more details as they become available.