Extensive Investigation Underway Into Deadly Alexander County Plane Crash

Investigators began sifting through the woods in Alexander County on Friday, looking for clues that could help explain a deadly plane crash.

Two Taylorsville men, Dr. Walter Long Jr., 75, and Bennie Hill Sharpe, 70, were killed when their small plane went down off the Gryer-Teague airstrip off White Plains Road between Taylorsville and Hiddenite early Thursday.

Family members and friends also came out to mourn at the crash site, which is at the end of the 3,000 foot grass runway about three miles east of Taylorsville.

“It could happen to anybody. You could fly all your life and still something happen, so what happened here, I don’t know,” said friend Earl Matheson. “Tell the family we’re all praying for them and hope for the best. It’s a bad tragedy, but they happen.”

Long was well-known for his family care center in Taylorsville. Sharpe was a former pilot with US Airways.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are going over the entire crash scene, but they are looking closely at the tree line to see if the Cessna 182C hit some branches before crashing.

The manager at the Taylorsville airport said the plane seemed to be having some trouble there early Thursday.

The lead investigator with the NTSB said the manufacturer of the Cessna plane and the manufacturer of the engine are each sending representatives to look at the wreckage.

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IMAGES: Plane Crash Kills 2 In Alexander County