A Saudi trainee pilot died when the plane he was flying crashed shortly after taking off from Riyadh’s Al-Thumamah Airport, Saudi Arabia’s Aviation Investigation Bureau said on Tuesday. 

"The initial information indicates that the aircraft (Tecnam) took off from Al-Thumama Airport at about 6:30 a.m., with its pilot, a Saudi ‘trainee pilot,’ aboard a training flight," the bureau said in a statement. 

“Five minutes after takeoff, a mayday (distress call) was sent out from the pilot shortly before the connection was lost.”

The pilot was the only person onboard.

A search team was sent by the academy to the site of the crash to investigate the cause and circumstances, the bureau said, adding that the wreckage was located 5 kilometers north of Al-Thumama Airport.

The airport is located about 29 kilometers from the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.