A turtle caused a deadly plane crash at Sugar Valley Airport in North Carolina. The National Transportation Safety Board said the accident happened June 3 near Farmwhile two people died and another person suffered serious injuries. The pilot tried to avoid hitting the turtle during landing but things went wrong fast.
The small private plane was coming down on the 2,424-foot runway when someone told the pilot about the turtle. The pilot landed about 1,400 feet down the strip and lifted the right wheel to miss the animal. Airport workers heard the pilot gun the engine after raising the wheel but lost sight of the aircraft.
A man mowing grass at the runway's end watched the pilot dodge the turtle. He saw the plane's wings start rocking back and forth dangerously. The aircraft took off again but disappeared behind a hangar building before crashing into trees.
Investigators found the wreckage about 225 feet northeast of the runway in thick woods. The plane got stuck between several trees but stayed mostly together except for some fabric pieces found in a nearby stream. Fire burned off all the covering on the body and wings, leaving just the metal frame visible to rescue teams.
The small private plane was coming down on the 2,424-foot runway when someone told the pilot about the turtle. The pilot landed about 1,400 feet down the strip and lifted the right wheel to miss the animal. Airport workers heard the pilot gun the engine after raising the wheel but lost sight of the aircraft.
A man mowing grass at the runway's end watched the pilot dodge the turtle. He saw the plane's wings start rocking back and forth dangerously. The aircraft took off again but disappeared behind a hangar building before crashing into trees.
Investigators found the wreckage about 225 feet northeast of the runway in thick woods. The plane got stuck between several trees but stayed mostly together except for some fabric pieces found in a nearby stream. Fire burned off all the covering on the body and wings, leaving just the metal frame visible to rescue teams.
