Miraculously, all of the 18 passengers and three crewmembers made it out of the fiery wreckage safely. Two people were sent to the hospital.
The youngest person on board was a 10-year-old, officials said.
The crash happened shortly after takeoff mid-morning Tuesday, the plane ending up in a field at the Houston Executive Airport, near Brookshire, Texas.
WATCH: Plane goes down near Houston Executive Airport in Brookshire
Plane goes down near Houston Executive Airport in Brookshire
Photos obtained by ABC13 show black smoke coming from a field around the scene of the crash.
From above the scene, SkyEye captured firefighters attempting to douse flames of the wreckage, with the aircraft's tail intact.
WATCH: ABC13's Ted Oberg breaks down tire tracks from plane incidents
SkyEye shows path that plane appeared to take amid aborted takeoff
Since the incident, FAA officials identified the aircraft as a McDonnell Douglas MD-87, adding that the plane rolled through a fence and caught fire in a field while attempting to depart the executive airport just after 10 a.m. CT.
LISTEN: Dispatcher directs first-responders to crash scene
Waller Co. plane crash: First-responders directed to wreckage
"During the departure, it looked like a normal departure. Like I said, once it got behind the hangers I could not tell myself what was going on with the aircraft," said the airport's executive director Andrew Perry. "It should have been up in the air. I knew something was wrong and then a couple of seconds later, we saw the fireball and went rushing to the scene."
Eyewitness News learned the plane is registered under the name of J. Alan Kent, who is the corporate owner of Flair Builders, a custom home builder based in Spring.
SEE MORE: Prominent Houston home builder onboard plane that crashed
Prominent Houston home builder was on plane during crash
In a phone call with Kent, he confirmed he was on board at the time of the crash and that the group was headed to Boston for a trip to the American League Championship Series game between the Astros and the Red Sox.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation. They are providing an update in the video above.
It can take anywhere from days to weeks to determine the cause of the crash.
WATCH: Expert offers insight into what may have happened in plane crash
Expert offers insight into what may have happened in Waller Co. jet crash