A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board says a small plane that crashed in New York tore apart piece by piece in midair, killing all three people aboard.

Newsday reports the NTSB says pieces of the tail and the interior overhead panel were found at the beginning of a nearly half-mile debris field in SyossetThe plane was headed from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Plainville, Connecticut, when it crashed May 3 on Long Island.

The fuselage, pieces of each wing and the left ruddervator were discovered farther along. The engine and instrument panel were found at the end of the debris field.

The report says flight-control cables appeared overstressed.

The victims were pilot David Berube, Dana Parenteau and Benjamin Bridges. All were from Bristol, Connecticut.

(AP)