KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. (WAVY) — The National Park Service confirmed that five people, including a child, were killed in a single-engine airplane crash on the Outer Banks Saturday evening.
Around 5 p.m., the airplane crashed into a wooded area at Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport.
Eyewitnesses reported that the airplane was attempting to land at the airport before it crashed and caught fire. The Kill Devil Hills Fire Department, along with other local fire departments, responded to the scene and extinguished the fire
The National Transportation Safety Board, an independent federal agency charged with
investigating civil aviation accidents in the United States, will investigate the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration has also been notified.
Wright Brothers National Memorial will be closed Sunday, Sept. 29 and Monday, Sept. 30. The park and First Flight Airstrip are expected to reopen on Tuesday. Monitor the park’s Facebook page for updates on the status of operations.
On Friday, the SR22 (N831AZ) was cleared to land at the Provo Airport. The pilot was preparing for landing and another aircraft on the runway did not clear in time, and the SR22 needed to go around. While on the go around, the SR22 suddenly went down. Witnesses told the tower they saw the plane go down. Another witness saw the crash site and said the plane broke apart and the parachute was deployed, according to the ATC audio.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded at about 10:10 a.m. local time. Witnesses reported and surveillance video showed that the SR22 traveled straight down at a high rate of speed, crashing into the lake. A group was on the scene shortly after and did not find anyone. Search and Rescue and Utah State Parks responded with side scan sonar. Cross Marine Projects brought a recovery barge to raise the fuselage of the plane toward the surface and allow Search and Rescue to recover the bodies of the two victim
Initial recovery efforts were met with difficulties. The water was difficult to see in and many pieces of the plane were recovered, but the fuselage was underwater and parts were buried in the bottom of the lake in water about nine feet deep. By late Friday evening, the bodies of the two occupants were recovered. The Utah County Sheriff’s Office identified the pilot as 43-year-old Michael Hyrum Cox from St. George, Utah and the passenger as 46-year-old Mark Andrew Johnson of Washington, Utah.
At about 5 p.m. local time on Saturday, an SR22 (N1281F) crashed into the wooded area at FFA and caught fire. Eyewitnesses reported that the plane was attempting to land at the airport. After the crash and subsequent fire, the Wright Brothers National Memoria said the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department, along with other local fire departments, extinguished the flames. After the crash, FFA announced its closure on Monday while it assists with the NTSB investigation. The National Parks Service confirmed there were four adults and one minor killed in the crash
Leave a Reply