UNION COUNTY, N.C. — An aircraft took off around 2 p.m. Sunday from Goose Creek Airport. It only got a few miles downrange before running into trouble.
The single engine aircraft crashed into a cow pasture.
“Heard the crash when it landed. When it hit the ground, the lady who lives in our house here, she called me and said a plane was down in a pasture,” said Doug Rowell, property owner. “So, I came to check.”
Doug and his wife Kathlyn rushed to the scene to see if they could help and found that both the pilot and his passenger were in pain.
The pilot had to be cut free from the aircraft. The passenger was ejected from the plane.
“But the door on the pilot’s side looks like it might have hit the tree ‘cause it was dented in pretty good and that might be why he was in so much pain,” Kathlyn said.
The Rowells helped the victims get medical treatment and took pictures and videos of the accident. Both the pilot and passenger were taken to the hospital, one of them by helicopter.
One of the wings was sheared off. So was a wheel.
“Yeah, they are fortunate the plane is not terrible. It lost a wing, lost a wheel, but it could have been a lot worse,” Kathlyn said.
The passenger initially declined medical attention, which shocked Kathlyn.
“I was quite surprised because he was in pretty bad shape,” Kathlyn said. “His gash was side to side and it was deep. I’m sure he probably had a concussion.”
This was as much excitement as the usual residents of the pasture have had in some time.
Doug said his cows are OK.
“Yep, everybody is good,” he said. “They great, very inquisitive. They had the plane surrounded.”
The Federal Aviation Administration says both victims are in stable condition. Investigators have not had a chance to talk to them.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. So far it’s early, and there is no word on what caused this accident.
This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.
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