Everyday thousands of people in the Kansas City area arrive at the airport expecting to be safely delivered to their destination. Generally, passengers have the experience of soaring among the clouds and get to enjoy watching the sun wink up at them off of the tiny cars below. When this fails to happen, the results are often tragic.

On Feb. 14, two Missouri men were flying in a small plane over the home of a friend. The men reportedly flew low to the ground so they could wave to friends when things went terribly wrong. Their plane crashed and burned in a pasture within sight of the house, killing both men aboard.

Highway patrol stated that they have not yet discovered where the flight came from because they have not recovered the pilot's flight plan. It is reported that the National Transportation Safety Board in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating this incident.

It appears as though a wing of the aircraft, a 1967 Piper Cherokee, was torn off in the crash that resulted in the death of the two men aboard the small plane. The names of the departed have not yet been released as DNA testing is still in process in Kansas City.

Upon hearing of this horrific tragedy, one cannot help but think of the families of the men that were aboard the plane. Aviation accidents are often very complicated, being composed of several factors. Flying in poor conditions, product failure, pilot error or several other factors can contribute to the loss of life. As the cause of this accident is still unknown, it is unclear what went so terribly wrong.

Source: The Kansas City Star, "Two killed in Clinton County, Mo., plane crash,"Matt Campbell, Feb. 15, 2012