Searchers are looking for a Mitsubishi MU-2, like this one.

The two men died when their Mitsubishi MU-2 crashed shortly after takeoff at Centennial Airport. The pilot had radioed an emergency and was attempting to return to the airport when the plane slammed into a parking lot of the Meridian Office Park, slid, and caught fire, Douglas County sheriff's spokesman Tim Moore said.

The accident occurred about 7:30 p.m. Friday night about one-half mile south of the airport.

A pilot who landed just before the accident told reporters he heard the radio conversation between the plane and the tower.

"He said, 'I need to shut an engine down, roll the trucks,'" Mike Postel said, referring to the pilot's request for emergency crews to meet the plane at the runway. Postel said he looked back to see if the plane was on final approach but didn't see him.

The pilot was on his way back to the airport when the aircraft went down, Moore said.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were conducting an investigation into the accident.

Previous Stories:

• December 10, 2004: Two Die In Centennial Plane Crash