At the Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, the aftermath of a tragic plane crash continues to unfold. Last weekend, a Cirrus SR-22 airplane crashed, killing all five passengers on board, which included a young child of just 6 years.
The plane, a single-engine model, came down late Saturday afternoon within a nearby wooded area, as confirmed by the National Park Service. Among the deceased were Maryland resident Shashwat Ajit Adhikari, Jason Ray Campbell and Kate McAllister Neely from Southern Pines, and Matthew Arthur Fassnacht of Marietta, Georgia, all confirmed by the park service on Tuesday. The child’s name has been withheld.
The national investigative body, The National Transportation Safety Board, is piecing together what led to this devastating event. Ryan Enders, NTSB’s Aviation Accident Investigator, shared that the plane was on a multiple-legged journey, having originated from Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, when it attempted a landing. Eyewitness reports detail the chilling scene as the plane circled the runway, veered off course and crashed into trees, where it caught fire. There were no emergency distress calls made prior to the crash, according to Enders.
Enders revealed that in approximately 10 days, a preliminary investigation report will be available. Thereafter, a more comprehensive report detailing a probable cause will be issued.
First Flight Airport, where this tragedy unfolded, is a historical aviation milestone, marking the precise site where Orville and Wilbur Wright took humanity’s first powered flight on December 17, 1903. Nearly a century later, this once-joyful site of historical achievement faced one of its darkest days.
