KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. — Multiple fatalities have been confirmed in a single-engine airplane crash near the Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport.
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 airport is closed until further notice, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial will be closed Sunday, the press release stated.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, and the Federal Aviation Administration has also been notified.
People can monitor the park’s Facebook page for the status of operations.