The pilot of a small plane who tragically lost his life in a crash this month in North Carolina had lifted one of the plane’s wheels after landing in an attempt to avoid a turtle on the runway, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (N.T.S.B.) on Friday.
The crash occurred on June 3, near Sugar Valley Airport in Mocksville, N.C., approximately 60 miles north of Charlotte. The pilot and one passenger were killed in the crash, and another passenger sustained severe injuries.
According to the N.T.S.B. report, a communications officer had noticed the turtle on the runway and alerted the pilot as the plane was preparing to land. The pilot then landed the Universal Stinson 108 aircraft but lifted the right wheel to avoid hitting the turtle.
The communications officer reported hearing the pilot advance the throttle after the wheel was lifted. She then lost sight of the plane, the report states.
A man who was mowing grass at the end of the runway witnessed the pilot’s attempt to spare the turtle. He saw the plane’s wings begin to rock back and forth before the aircraft took off again. The man lost sight of the plane once it passed behind a hangar but later heard a loud crash and saw smoke rising from the wreckage.
The plane eventually crashed into a heavily forested area about 250 feet past the runway. The aircraft caught fire and was found wedged between several trees, still largely intact except for some fabric pieces, the N.T.S.B. reported.
It remains unclear whether the pilot’s decision to lift the wheel to avoid the turtle directly caused the crash. The N.T.S.B. did not identify the victims in its report and did not list a probable cause for the incident. The final investigation report is expected to take one to two years to complete.
Attempts to reach the registered owner of the plane listed on a Federal Aviation Administration website for comment went unanswered.
