Small plane crash at Cape Cod airport leaves pilot dead

A small plane crashed Sunday (January 5, 2026) at the Provincetown Municipal Airport on Cape Cod, catching fire and killing the pilot, who was the only person on board, officials said.

Firefighters and other emergency responders extinguished the fire at the crash site near the seaside community at the very tip of the Cape Cod, city officials said in a news release.

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The statement said the pilot was pronounced dead at the crash site.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement that the aircraf was a Cessna 172N and that it will investigate the crash. It gave no preliminary indication of a possible cause.

The airport was closed following the crash.

Provincetown is located about 50 miles (80 kilometres) southeast of Boston at the end of Cape Cod, the hooked peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean in southeast Massachusetts.