NTSB: Pilot reported engine trouble before fatal plane crash near Southport

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A man was killed after a single-engine plane crashed into a home near Southport.

According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane took off from the Cape Fear Regional Jetport at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, June 25.

Howie Franklin, director of the Cape Fear Regional Jetport, said he wasn’t at the airport during that time, but staff told him about five minutes into the flight, the pilot radioed the Jetport and said he wanted to come back.

“But he didn’t make it,” Franklin said.

The plane crashed into a home at 4437 Frying Pan Road, about a half-mile from the end of the Jetport's runway.

Peter Knudson, spokesman with the National Transportation Safety Board, said Monday afternoon the pilot indicated he was having engine trouble when he radioed the Jetport and told them of his intent to return.

The Southport Fire Department responded to the crash site. In a statement posted to social media, Southport Fire Chief Charles Drew said responders found the plane “fully engulfed in flames,” and the exterior of the home was on fire. Drew said the three occupants inside the home evacuated and were not injured, and crews had the fire contained within 15 minutes.

The pilot was the only person aboard the plane when it crashed, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday afternoon that the pilot's identity would be released by local authorities.

The Southport Fire Department secured the scene Sunday evening, covered the aircraft with tarps, and cleared the scene around 8 p.m.

Fire department personnel also cleared the house, and the occupants were permitted to return to the structure.

According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane was a single-engine Mooney M20R. Photos posted to social media after the scene show the tail number of the aircraft is N13LV.

According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the plane is registered to Lucarelli J L DBA of Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The Federal Aviation and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash and were documenting the site and interviewing witnesses Monday. A spokesman with the National Transportation Safety Board said they expect to release a preliminary report about the crash in two to three weeks, but the investigation will not be completed for one to two years.

Franklin said he hasn't seen many crashes during his time at the Jetport.

"We have 150 takeoffs and landings a day, and this is the first fatality we've had in the 30 years since I've been here," Franklin said.

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This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Plane crashes in Southport, NC on Sunday