A single-engine Cirrus SR22 aircraft carrying five people crashed while attempting to land at Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina on the evening of Saturday, September 28, 2024. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the incident occurred around 5 p.m., resulting in the confirmed deaths of four adults and one child.
Eyewitness reports gathered by the National Park Service indicated that the plane crashed into a nearby forest close to the airport, immediately igniting a fire. Images shared on local Outer Banks Facebook groups depicted smoke visible for miles above the treeline.
Firefighters from the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department and other nearby departments responded swiftly to the crash site, managing to extinguish the flames. Despite their efforts, substantial damage had already been inflicted. Drone footage captured the following morning showed the extent of the wreckage, although dense tree cover in the area made it difficult to fully assess. The National Park Service announced the closure of the Wright Brothers National Memorial on Sunday due to the crash.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are spearheading the investigation into the crash. The cause of the incident remains unclear, but investigators are in the process of collecting evidence and conducting interviews to ascertain the reasons behind the plane’s fatal descent.
The ill-fated plane had departed from Pinehurst, NC, and made stops in Ocracoke and Manteo prior to the crash.
This incident is not the first aviation-related event to occur at or near the Wright Brothers National Memorial. The memorial site has been the scene of several minor crashes and emergency landings over the past decades.
The crashed Cirrus SR22 plane, recognized for its advanced safety features including a built-in parachute system, was registered to a private owner, Pantheon Aviation LLC. The investigation into the crash is anticipated to last several weeks.