2 killed after Mooresville-based plane crashes in Florida

MayCay Beeler
·2 min read
2 killed after Mooresville-based plane crashes in Florida

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – A small private plane, registered to a Mooresville company, crashed in Florida Monday afternoon, killing the two occupants on board.

Radio communications captured the final moments before the deadly St. Augustine plane crash.

FlightAware shows the single-engine plane, based in Mooresville, departed the Lake Norman Airpark and landed at the Northeast Florida Regional Airport.

On Monday, the fixed-wing aircraft, a Turbo Mooney, had just taken off from the St. Augustine area airport headed to Palm Beach when the pilot reported a door came open in flight.

“Door just popped open, going to need to come back and land,” the pilot is heard saying.

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“Do you need any assistance or anything or are you just going to land and close it?” the air traffic controller asked.

“I’m just going to land it and close it,” the pilot said calmly, according to ATC recordings. He was cleared and expected to land within minutes but never showed up.

“We’ve lost him on the radio. I can’t find him,” the controller is heard saying after he called around to other pilots.

People on the ground reported hearing a loud noise; one described seeing the plane just drop out of the sky.

The pilot and passenger died at the crash site by the time emergency crews arrived. The plane was destroyed. No one on the ground was injured.

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The aircraft was based at Lake Norman Airport, registered to Hofer Aero LLC of Mooresville. The names of the victims have not yet been released.

The NTSB is investigating. The agency will evaluate the aircraft wreckage, maintenance records, weather, radar, the pilot’s medical and flight history, and more.

An early report should be available within 10 days, with the final NTSB report expected to be released within one to two years.

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