The pilot killed in a North Carolina accident tried to avoid hitting Turtle on the track

Mocksville, NC – The pilot of a small plane that crashed near an airport in North Carolina this month had raised a wheel after landing to avoid hitting a turtle on the track, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The universal Pilot Stinsins 108 and a passenger were killed in the accident on June 3 near Sugar Valley airport in Mocksville, officials said. A second passenger was seriously injured in the accident.

A communication operator looking through the airport office window told the pilot that there was a turtle on the track, according to the report published this week. The operator said that the pilot landed about 1,400 feet on the 2,424 feet track, then raised the main right wheel to avoid the turtle. The operator heard the pilot advance the accelerator after raising the wheel, but the plane left his sight after that.

A man cutting the grass at the end of the track said he saw the pilot lifting the right wheel to avoid the turtle, then the wings swelled back and forth and the plane took off, depending on the report. The man lost sight of the plane, then heard an accident and saw smoke.

The plane crashed into an area strongly wooded about 255 feet from the track and caught fire, officials said. The plane was stuck between several trees and remained in a single room, with the exception of a few pieces of fabric found in a stream nearby. He rested on his left side with the left wing folded under the fuselage and the right wing leaning towards the tail.

Preliminary reports contain facts collected on the scene, but do not speculate on probable causes, according to the NTSB website. These are included in the final reports, which can take one to two years to finish.