June 20 (UPI) -- A turtle on the runway caused a small private plane crash that killed two and seriously injured another person at Sugar Valley Airport in North Carolina, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
An NTSB statement said the crash occurred June 3 near Farmington, N,C.. As the plane was landing, the pilot was advised there was a turtle on the runway.
"The pilot landed about 1,400 feet down the 2,424-foot runway and then lifted the right main wheel to avoid the turtle," the NTSB statement said.
The communications system operator heard the pilot advance the throttle after raising the plane's right wheel. The operator then lost sight of the plane, according to the report.
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The NTSB said a man cutting grass at the end of the runway saw the pilot raise the right wheel to avoid the turtle. The man said the wings of the plane began to rock back and forth.
"Then the airplane took off again, but he lost site of the airplane when it passed behind a hangar," the NTSB said. "The airplane disappeared just over the trees on the northeast side of the runway and then he heard a loud crash and saw smoke."
According to investigators, the airplane crashed in a heavily forested area roughly 225 feet northeast of the departure end of the runway.
"The airplane was wedged between several trees and remained in one piece except for a few pieces of fabric that were found in an adjacent stream next to the accident site," the NTSB statement said.
"The fabric on the fuselage, cowling and wings was completely burned off and the airplane frame was visible."
