A plane crash in Arkansas killed five environmental consultants aboard who were flying to Ohio to investigate a recent explosion at a metal plant.

The plane, a twin-engine Beech B2000, took off from Little Rock at around noon Wednesday, crashing shortly after takeoff near a 3M industrial site in a wooded area near the city.

Preliminary findings by the National Transportation Safety Board on the cause and events of the crash will be made public in around two weeks, a spokesperson told the Associated Press.

The five men flying were all employees of the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health. Their names, ages, and roles at the company were:

— Pilot Sean Sweeney, 64.

— Safety supervisor Micah Kendrick, 41.

— Staffing manager for logistics Kyle Bennett, 36.

— Rapid responder Glenmarkus Walker, 32.

— Production safety data manager Gunter Beaty, 23.

“It is with a heavy heart that we acknowledge the passing of our colleagues … They were valuable members of our team and CTEH family,” the company tweeted Thursday.

At the time of takeoff, thunderstorms were present in the Little Rock area, with wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour.

Little Rock resident Dennis Gordon told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette he heard the wind pick up before hearing an explosion. This was followed by smaller explosions and the start of a huge fire.

“It was just red, then it starts turning black, and there’s this burnt smell,” Mr. Gordon said,

The five fliers were headed from Little Rock to Columbus, and from there to the site of an explosion Monday at a metal plant in Bedford, Ohio. An employee of the I. Schumann recycling plant, which produces bronze and brass alloy, was killed as a result of that blast.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.