Multiple deaths reported after small aircraft crashes in North Carolina
Several people are believed to have died in a plane crash as the plane landed at a regional airport in North Carolina, officials say.
“I can confirm that there were deaths,” Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell told the Associated Press, without specifying the number.
The plane crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:15 a.m. local time (3:15 p.m. GMT) on Thursday. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, airport authorities announced on social media.
Registration information for the plane – a Cessna C550 – suggests it is owned by a private company affiliated with Greg Biffle, a retired Nascar driver, WBTV, a CBS affiliate reported.
Statesville Airport Director John Ferguson described the plane as a corporate jet and said it was already engulfed in flames when he arrived on the scene.
The business jet took off around 10:06 a.m. local time and had been in the air briefly before the crash.
It crashed at the east end of the runway and authorities do not yet have information on the cause of the accident.
Statesville Airport will remain closed until further notice while crews clean debris from the runway, Ferguson told reporters.
Officials did not provide any information about the deaths or people on board the plane during the news conference.
Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH) is owned by the city of Statesville, located about 45 minutes north of Charlotte.
It also provides aviation facilities to Fortune 500 companies and several Nascar racing teams.
