In this file photo taken on April 13, 2015 a "PC-12" single-engined aircraft of Swiss manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft is pulled over a street to the fair grounds in Friedrichshafen, southern Germany, during preparations for the "Aero" show for general aviation. Photo: VCG

A plane crash in the US state of South Dakota killed nine people, including two children, and injured three others on Saturday while a winter storm warning was in place, officials said.

The aircraft, a Pilatus PC-12, crashed shortly after takeoff approximately a mile (1.6 ­kilometers) from the Chamberlain airport, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

Among the dead was the plane's pilot, Brule County state's attorney Theresa Maule Rossow said, adding that a total of 12 people had been on board.

The three survivors had been taken to the hospital in Sioux Falls, Rossow told US media.

The flight left the airport just before noon local time, with a destination of Idaho Falls ­Regional Airport in the western state of Idaho.

The FAA said investigators were en route to the crash site and that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would be in charge of the investigation. 

The NTSB tweeted that it was "investigating today's crash of Pilatus PC-12 near Chamberlain, SD."

South Dakota is located in the Northern Plains, a region facing blizzard conditions as a storm blows eastward across the US.

A winter storm warning remained in effect in Brule ­County until midday Sunday, the National Weather Service said, potentially including blowing snow that "could significantly reduce visibility."