MANTEO, N.C. — Five people were killed on Saturday when a single-engine plane crashed into woods near the Wright Brothers National Memorial's First Flight Airport on the Outer Banks, in Kill Devil Hills.
For the first time, the five victims have all been identified. They are as follows:
- Shashwat Ajit Adhikari, 31, of Silver Spring, MD
- Jason Ray Campbell, 43, of Southern Pines, NC
- Kate McAllister Neely, 39, of Southern Pines, NC
- Matthew Arthur Fassnacht, 44, of Marietta, GA
- An unnamed 6-year-old child
David Hallac, the superintendent of the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (Outer Banks Group), said, "National Park Service employees at Wright Brothers National Memorial, Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site ... extend their deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones affected by this tragedy."
The crash occurred at about 5 p.m. Saturday and happened in a wooded area, according to the National Park Service. A Dare County sheriff's deputy reported there were still some people inside the park when the plane crashed.
Eyewitnesses reported that the airplane was attempting to land at the airport and that an ensuing fire caused the plane to burn. The fire was extinguished by the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department and other local departments.
Eyewitness Nadia Popruzhenko said she saw it as she was driving to the store.
"At the beginning, I thought he was really high, and all of a sudden, he just went down a little too quick," she said. "This one went down so quick that I thought it was too low."
The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the crash of the Cirrus SR-22 airplane.
Wright Brothers National Memorial wishes to thank the following for their responses to the Sept. 28 airplane crash: Kill Devil Hills fire and police departments; Kitty Hawk fire and police departments; National Park Service law enforcement rangers; North Carolina State Highway Patrol and North Carolina Forest Service; and Dare County Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Management and Sheriff’s Office.