CHANUTE, Kan. â€"  Three people were killed and two more were in critical condition after a small plane crashed in southeastern Kansas on Friday afternoon, KOAM-TV reported.

The twin-engine Cessna 401 plane was carrying five people when it crashed west of Chanute, Kan., roughly 90 miles northwest of Joplin, Mo., about 4:30pm local time.

Authorities said the plane had been en route from Riverside, Kan., to Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), who is investigating the cause of the crash, said the incident occurred after the plane lost contact with air traffic control -- after receiving permission to fly at a lower altitude.

The identities of the passengers have not been released.

"It is of course a sad situation any time anything like this happens," Wilson County Sheriff Dan Path told KOAM.  "Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, and so forth, and the survivors will certainly be in our prayers."