Pilot who died in North Carolina plane crash was trying to avoid hitting turtle on runway
The aircraft managed to take off, but crashed and caught fire soon after, killing the pilot and one passenger and seriously injuring another
The pilot of a small plane that crashed near a North Carolina airport this month had raised a wheel after landing to avoid hitting a turtle on the runway, according to a National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report.
The pilot of the Universal Stinson 108 and a passenger were killed in the June 3 crash near Sugar Valley Airport in Mocksville, officials said. A second passenger was seriously injured in the crash.
A communications operator looking out the airport office window advised the pilot that there was a turtle on the runway, according to the report released this week.
The operator reported that the pilot landed about 427 metres (1,400 feet) down the 739-metre (2,424-foot) runway, then lifted the right main wheel to avoid the turtle.
The operator heard the pilot advance the throttle after raising the wheel, but the plane left her view after that.
A man cutting the grass at the end of the runway reported seeing the pilot raise the right wheel to avoid the turtle, then the wings rocked back and forth and the plane took off again, according to the report.