East Haven — One man is dead and another, a New London resident, remained in critical condition after the small plane they were in crashed near Tweed New Haven Airport on Wednesday, according to local police.

Police said the Piper PA 38 aircraft, a plane belonging to a local flight school, had just taken off from the airport when it crashed into a swampy area beyond the runway Wednesday morning.

According to Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr., the plane reported an emergency shortly before it fell from the sky.

Police identified the deceased as Pablo Campos Isona, a 31-year-old from East Haven.

They said Rafayel Hany Wassef, a 20-year-old New London resident, was the other occupant of the plane. As of Thursday morning, he was in critical condition at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Day archives show Wassef graduated from New London High School in 2014. The Day has reached out to the district for more information.

Police did not identify who was in control of the plane at the time it crashed.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

This report includes information from the Associated Press.