A devastating incident occurred in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, when a small plane crashed, resulting in the loss of five lives.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating the accident, which involved a Piper PA-32R-300 aircraft, as mentioned on their Twitter account.
This tragic event has left the community in mourning and highlights the importance of conducting thorough investigations to determine the cause.
The plane, which had left the Grand Strand airport, crashed about two miles northwest of the airport in Pete Dye, CNN reports.
The aircraft took off at around 11:20 am local time before the tragic accident occurred, adds WBTV. The NTSB has launched an investigation to discover the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The Horry County Coroner’s Office is currently working to identify the victims, and their names will be released once their families have been notified.
For its part, the North Myrtle Beach Police Department confirmed that debris from the accident has been cleaned up and Pete Dye has reopened.
Authorities worked diligently to remove debris from the scene, allowing the community to move on while remembering the lives that were tragically lost.
North Myrtle Beach Accident Investigations
The NTSB, along with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is actively investigating the accident.
It is important to note that during the initial stages of the investigation, the focus is on gathering facts rather than determining the cause of the accident.
When authorities first arrived at the scene of the crash, the plane was “engulfed in flames,” according to Officer Wilkinson, according to the outlet.
“Debris has been cleared from the Pete Dye plane crash site; it is now open again,” the police department shared on Facebook. “We thank you all for your cooperation and assistance. Please keep the victims of this tragedy and their families in your prayers.”
NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway stressed the importance of this data collection phase, which is crucial to understanding the sequence of events leading up to the tragedy, according to WBTV.
According to The Independent, the pilot of the plane, which reportedly has a capacity of six people, was among those killed. WMBF also reported that some of the families of the victims are from another country.
Keep reading:
· Young man is bitten by a shark while surfing on Fire Island, in a possible second attack
· South Carolina house fire kills six; suspect was arrested for attempting to murder the survivor
· Man was arrested in Georgetown for his alleged connection to a shooting