CNN  — 

Two people aboard a small plane died after it crashed into a North Carolina lake Sunday morning, hitting a power line on the way down and cutting electricity to thousands, according to a local official.

The Federal Aviation Authority is investigating the cause of the crash, which took place about 11:30 a.m., a spokesperson for the city of Hickory told CNN.

More than 17,000 Duke Energy customers were without electricity in Catawba County as of 12:40 p.m., according to PowerOutage.us. Power was restored to most customers early Sunday evening.

Lake Hickory is about 53 miles northwest of Charlotte.