2 women, 1 man die in plane crash in NC

FRANKLIN COUNTY, NC (WNCN) - Authorities say that three people died Friday night a plane crash in Franklin County.

Franklin County Sheriff Kent Winstead said a homeowner near the airport on Clifton Pond Road heard a loud boom and thought a plane had gone down.

Crews on ATVs searched the pond nearby and found a plane in the pond. A boat was sent to the scene to investigate.

Officials said Saturday afternoon a man and two women who were in the plane died in the incident, which happened southwest of the airport in Louisburg.

The plane could be seen in the daylight Saturday and was in some water. The plane had been pulled near the shore of the body of water and was ripped and heavily damaged.

North Carolina State Highway Patrol earlier said it can’t get to the plane because it is still in the water. The debris field was scattered. It called the operation a recovery effort.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane is a Cessna C-172 and that it crashed shortly after taking off from the Triangle North Executive Airport in Louisburg.

The FAA is at the scene investigating the crash.

Relatives of those who died are being contacted before the names of the victims are released.

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