A cargo plane skidded off a runway while landing at Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia, slamming into a hillside and killing the two people in the aircraft.
The pilot and co-pilot were both killed. The plane was carrying packages for UPS.
Saddened to hear of the accident at @YeagerAirport. Cathy and I send our thoughts and prayers to the families of the 2 who lost their lives.
The plane crash occurred on May 5.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Plane Crashed Into a Hillside After a ‘Hard Hit’ on the Runway
Staging area set up at Yeager Airport. We’re working on more details. #EyewitnessWV @wchs8fox11
The plane went over a hillside after its “wing struck the ground” as it was landing, ABC News reports.
Charleston Yeager Airport SH330 crash UPDATE
t.co/THtDjleT1X
The plane made a “hard hit,” damaging the runway.
.@YeagerAirport says there is some damage to runway from hard hit
Police had strung yellow caution tape at the crash scene to cordon it off, according to 580WCHS.
2. Two People Died in the Plane Crash
The two victims’ names have not been released. However, the pilots – a male and a female – were based out of Yeager Airport:
They were identified as the pilot and the co-pilot of the plane. No one else was inside the aircraft. According to ABC News, the plane was arriving at the Charleston, West Virginia, airport at 6:55 a.m. after departing Louisville, Kentucky, earlier in the morning.
It’s not the first crash at Yeager Airport. Last year, “a flight instructor and student died in a small Cessna at the airport,” reports KBOI2.
The bodies were taken to the medical examiner’s office and a fuel leak at the scene was contained.
3. The Plane Struck the Runway Sideways as It Crashed
There was a report that the plane cartwheeled after it landed sideways on the runway.
It’s not yet clear what caused the plane crash. However, Rob Johnson, of WSAZ, reported, “Cargo plane was sideways as it tried to land. It hit the runway too early, bounced and then crashed over the hillside.”
The plane crash delayed some flights at the airport, which was closed with air traffic diverted in the wake of the crash.
However, according to NBC News, “preliminary reports suggest the twin-engine turboprop — identified as a Short 330 — made a hard landing with one of the wings striking the runway at Yeager Airport and causing the plane to cartwheel.”
After deadly plane crash at Yeager Airport, the airport is closed. Several people having to reschedule their flight for tomorrow. #WSAZ
“The aircraft hit the runway before the runway actually began,” Kent Carper, Kanawha County Commission president, told NBC News.
4. UPS Confirmed That the Plane Crash Involved the Company
UPS confirmed that the plane was delivering packages for the delivery service. The plane is owned by a company called Air Cargo Carriers.
According to NBC News, the plane “was being operated by Air Cargo Carriers Inc. as a subcontractor for UPS.”
.YeagerAirport where yellow caution tape now separates crash scene.
“As we attempt to learn more about the situation, we are keeping the crew involved in our heartfelt thoughts,” UPS said in a statement obtained by NBC.
5. Photos Showed Wreckage & Smoke at the Scene
Although news crews were kept pretty far away, a photo emerged that appeared to show some of the wreckage, including part of a wing. See above.
Officials: 2 dead in cargo plane crash at Yeager Airport in Charleston t.co/MUyVT5807i
According to KBOI2: “Officials reported initially there was heavy entrapment in the crash. The aircraft struck the runway very hard. A wing is detached and near the runway. The aircraft is 150 feet over the hill.”