The plane crashed while preparing to land at the airport on the mountainous island, Siffre said. A man was killed when the Twin Otter propeller-driven plane crashed into his house in a field near the airport, and his wife was in the hospital with serious injuries.
Gendarmes on St Barthelemy were interviewing witnesses and sifting through the wreckage, searching for clues as to what could have caused the crash, he said.
The 17 passengers were mostly French tourists, said Ariana Halley, a manager for the airline on St Martin.
The airline would not release the names of passengers until family members were notified. There were also two crew members on the plane, she said.
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