MOXVILLE, N.C. — A pilot of a small plane crashed near North Carolina Airport this month raised the wheels after landing to avoid hitting the turtle on the runway, according to a preliminary report from the National Traffic Safety Commission.
The Universal Stinson 108 and the passenger pilot were killed in the June 3 crash near Moxville’s Sugar Valley Airport, officials said. The second passenger was seriously injured in a crash.
A communications operator looking at the airport’s office window advised the pilot that there was a turtle on the runway, according to a report released this week. The operator reported that the pilot landed about 1,400 feet below the 2,424-foot runway and lifted the right main wheel to avoid the turtle. The operator hears the pilot move the throttle forward after raising the wheels, but the plane then leaves her sight.
The report says the man who cut grass at the edge of the runway raised his right wheel to avoid the turtle, his wings shaking back and forth, and the plane was on the plane again. The man lost sight of the plane, then he heard the collision and saw the smoke.
The plane crashed in a woodland about 255 feet from the runway and sparked a fire, officials said. The plane was caught between several trees and remained in one piece, except for a few fabrics in the nearby river. The left wing collapsed under the fuselage, and the right wing rests on the left side, bent towards the tail.
Preliminary reports include facts collected at the site, but according to the NTSB website, do not speculate about possible causes. These are included in the final report and may take a year or two to complete.
