KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. — Four adults and one minor died on board a single-engine airplane during a crash Saturday evening, a spokesperson with the Cape Hatteras National Seashore confirms.
Around 5 p.m., the plane went down into a wooded area near the Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport.
According to a Dare County sheriff's deputy, some people were inside the park when the crash happened. Eyewitnesses reported that the airplane was attempting to land at the airport. The plane then caught on fire and was extinguished by the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department and other local departments.
The National Park Service said there were no survivors on board.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigator says the plane went down as it was attempting a second landing. It then crashed into a wooded area at the park Saturday evening.
Officials say the flight had last taken off from Dare County Regional Airport.
Investigators don't know not what led up to the first landing attempt or why it failed, but they say the plane had followed the flight pattern to attempt another landing.
That's when it crashed.
"During the second attempt, the aircraft made a left turn and impacted trees adjacent to the left side of the runway,” said Ryan Enders, aviation accident investigator. “The impact resulted in a post-crash fire, and the five occupants sustained fatal injuries.”
Enders said he could not share any additional information about the victims.
Investigators say the preliminary report will come out in 10 days, and the factual report can take anywhere from nine to twelve months.
The Wright Memorial Park and the airport will reopen Tuesday morning.
People can monitor the park’s Facebook page for the status of operations.