(AP) - Officials say the small plane that crashed in a wooded area in Maine shortly after taking off, killing three people, hit a truck on the runway just before the accident. The Knox County sheriff's office says the Cessna 172 was heading north on the runway during takeoff Friday evening when it struck a pickup truck crossing the runway. The plane continued to climb and, as it turned to the east, it spiraled downward into the woods and burst into flames. The fire destroyed the plane. Officials were still working to identify the three people aboard. The crash happened near the end of a runway at the airport in Owls Head. The airport manager says the truck was authorized to be on the airport grounds and was driven by a pilot.