A small plane crashed in western Argentina on Feb. 6, killing all three people aboard, civil defense authorities said.

The aircraft crashed in a mountainous area, some 80 km southwest of the capital city of Mendoza province, a civil defense official said.

Two people were killed on the spot and a third died of injuries in hospital.

The cause of the accident was still under investigation, the official said. A preliminary probe showed the plane hit a hillside due to the pilot's error.