Plane crash declared ‘main incident’ with roads shut down round airport
A private plane has crashed at a North Carolina airport in a major incident. The authorities have closed down a number of roads following the collision in a wooded area near Pitt-Greenville Airport in Greenville, North Carolina.
Eyewitnesses have said they saw the plane rapidly descend before crashing and one local resident said he “heard a boom”. It is unclear how many people were on board the aircraft or the number of causalities but the emergency services responded swiftly, with firefighters, law enforcement, and medical personnel working to secure the area and assess the situation.
The entrance to PGV & Memorial Drive in Greenville are also closed, according to local reports. The Greenville Police Department said they are providing scene control in the area of the incident.
(Image: WITN)
They confirmed a private plane crash was involved in the incident. The message, shared on X, read: “ALERT: GPD and GFR are providing scene control of a private plane crash in the area of N. Memorial Dr and Belvoir Road.
“N. Memorial is expected to be closed for the remainder of the day. Waiting on NTSB response. Media is asked to stage in the Pitt-Greenville Airport parking lot.”
Local resident Wernell Fast said that he “heard the whole thing”. Fast said on Facebook: “Dive bomber propeller scream/strafe and then the boom.”
Talk of the Town, an Eastern North Carolina newspage, said on X: “We are told that the aircraft was a small, private plane. There is a scene being worked by emergency responders at the parking lot of Consolidated Pipe Company, near PGV.
“We have also learned that West Belvoir Road has been closed, in addition to Memorial Drive.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have been notified and are expected to launch a full investigation into the crash. Investigators will examine factors such as pilot communications, flight records, and potential engine failures to determine what led to the accident.
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