By Arun Kumar

Washington, Jul 16 (IANS): US federal investigators are trying to find the cause of a plane crash in Texas that killed two brothers from Bangalore, India and a friend.

The single-engine plane slammed into a field in Hood County town of Tolar about 9.30 p.m. Tuesday night, ending what was to be a fun trip to Stephenville for a barbeque - a Texas treat for Pratik Kalaichelvan visiting his brother in Arlington.

The right wing of the 1964 Beechcraft Bonanza hit the ground, and the single-engine plane tumbled, according to an National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator cited by local WFAA-TV.

Officials said the four-seat aircraft was registered to the pilot, 26-year-old Casey Brinegar. He died along with his friend and fellow pilot Kartik, 22, and his brother Pratik, 19, who was days away from returning to India.

"The young pilot was looking for a place to land, I assume," said Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Dub Gillum. "He did a fabulous job not crashing into a house."

Trooper Gillum believes the pilot might have landed it if he had had just a bit more daylight, the TV website said.

Friends cited by WFAA-TV said Casey Brinegar was a superb pilot and instructor at the Skymates flight school in Arlington, although Tuesday's flight was strictly for pleasure in Brinegar's personal plane.

Friends said Kartik Kalaichelvan learned to fly from Brinegar, and was accumulating flight time before returning to India to be a commercial pilot like his father.

An NTSB investigator said a preliminary report on the crash will be issued next week.