LANCASTER, S.C. — Police in Lancaster say a small plane crashed early Thursday morning.
Channel 9 learned that the plane crashed near a scrap yard near West Brooklyn Avenue and Springdale Road.
The two pilots on board were taken to a burn unit at a hospital.
According to online flight records, a twin-engine Beechcraft airplane owned by Pressley Aviation LLC was last seen flying near the crash site at 1 a.m. Flight records show the plane had been flying from Laredo, Texas, and briefly stopped in Poplarville, Mississippi, Wednesday night before continuing to the Carolinas. The destination was Stanly County Regional Airport.
From air traffic control communications, it was apparent that the plane had an engine problem. Emergency landing procedures were then executed near Lancaster.
We could see the wreckage of the plane among trees near the scrap yard. The plane appeared to be heavily damaged from the impact and fire.
Pressley Aviation LLC is the business name for a flight school based out of Stanly County. It’s not clear who was flying the plane at the time of the crash.
Channel 9 reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board for more information on what caused the plane to go down.
The FAA told Channel 9 that two people were on board when the plane crashed around 12:45 a.m.
Channel 9’s Miana Massey spoke with officials and learned that two pilots were hurt in the crash after the plane caught fire.
A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help one of the crash victims, who was severely burned.