Two people were killed when a small business jet crashed while taking off from Van Nuys Airport near Los Angeles, California, on January 12, U.S. federal officials said.

The victims were believed to be two crew members on the jet, said Joe Miller, a dispatcher with Sun Quest Executive Air Charter, which operated the plane.

He said there were no other people on the plane.

A FoxTV report quoted a witness as saying the plane's left-hand nose baggage door was "wide open" as it took off.

A TV footage showed smoldering debris in a field near the San Fernando Valley airport. Rescuers said two bodies were found in the wreckage.

No nearby structures appeared to be damaged.

The plane had been leaving the airport in the Los Angeles suburbs and was headed to Long Beach, about 25 miles south of Los Angeles.

Used by private, corporate, charter, flight instruction and maintenance operations, Van Nuys is the busiest general aviation airport in the U.S., with an average of nearly 500,000 takeoffs and landings annually.