THREE people have died after a plane crashed into a French neighbourhood just three minutes after taking off.

A former army general, 77, and a couple on board the Cessna 172 tourist plane all died in the tragic air disaster.

The experienced pilot lost control of the small aircraft as it plummeted towards a residential area in Champhol, a town in central France.  

All three died upon impact, public prosecutor Frederic Chevallier confirmed.

The crash took place shortly before 4pm on Friday.

Chevallier added that the couple onboard the light aircraft were a man and a woman in their 60s.

A seasoned French army general, who was at the controls of the aircraft, was commended for his skill in preventing civilian harm on the ground as the plane descended uncontrollably.

Chevallier says he believes “the pilot likely prevented a greater tragedy by avoiding the houses”.

The only other damage caused was to a parked car in the area.

Initial investigations say the aircraft is believed to have made a sharp turn that is said to have been too tight to perform. 

The lead prosecutor said the plane made a “sudden turn” before suffering a “rapid descent”.

It then smashed into a “low wall in a garden” and came to a sudden stop.

The light aircraft was owned by the Chartres Metropole aerodrome flying club. 

An investigation into the exact cause of the crash is still ongoing. 

It comes as another life was claimed when a small plane crashed near Boston.

The Mooney M20 aircraft hit a street close to Beverly Regional Airport in Massachusetts at around 8.45am with one other critically injured.

Another tragic plane accident saw two people killed after a small private plane crashed when a pilot lifted a wheel to dodge a turtle on the runway.

Tragically, the pilot and one passenger lost their lives when the aircraft crashed into a forested area close to Sugar Valley Airport in North Carolina, subsequently igniting on June 3.

A second passenger was severely injured in the crash.

A communications officer looking out the airport office window advised the pilot that the reptile was on the runway as he prepared to land.

In an attempt to dodge a turtle, the pilot elevated the right wheel of the Universal Stinson 108 plane and increased the throttle, which resulted in the severe accident.