Texas Department of Public Safety officials in Montgomery County identified the victims as 70-year-old Elzie J. Warren and his 54-year-old daughter Phyllis G. Ridings, both of Conroe, though autopsies will be performed to confirm their identities.
Authorities said the pair was flying to Temple for an air show.
The aircraft departed from the airport shortly before the accident occurred. It was only the air for a few minutes when the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit and declared an emergency, officials said.
The aircraft crashed and exploded while attempting to return to the field. Warren and Ridings were both killed.
DPS said the plane went down in such a heavily wooded area that firefighters had to bring in a bulldozer to clear brush in order to get a truck in to put water on the flames.
Authorities with the FAA's Houston office and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.
The plane was a homebuilt single-engine Ravin 500 built in 2007. It is owned by Loyd Woodward of Girard, Texas. DPS officials do not believe Woodward was onboard when the plane went down.
Eyewitness News has a crew at the airport. Stay with abc13.com for updates as they become available.
