Two of the five victims in a tragic plane crash in North Carolina were Cobb County residents, including a six-year-old child.
The crash happened this weekend near the Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport.
Michele Newell, Channel 2’s Cobb County bureau chief learned that one of the victims has been identified as Matthew Fassnacht. His relationship to the child is unclear, but both had ties to Cobb County.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The fatal crash involved a Cirrus SR22 aircraft, which attempted to land at the First Flight Airport but struck trees and crashed in the forests of the national park. All five passengers on board were killed.
“We will be gathering any perishable evidence here in the coming days, such as photographs, video evidence or data from the aircraft that could assist with flight information,” said Ryan Enders, aviation accident investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.
Neighbors who live near the park said they weren’t sure what happened, but only that they could smell something burning.
“Maybe it was a house or maybe it was a serious car accident. It was a burn with a chemical smell. It wasn’t like burning wood and we couldn’t figure out where it came from,” said Melanie Perry.
TRENDING STORIES:
Cobb County school officials confirmed the child attended Sope Creek Elementary School. They said in a statement:
“Our hearts are with the Sope Creek community after their recent loss. We understand that this is a very difficult time for our staff and young students and therefore district staff will be available to support them. We ask that the media give the school community time to grieve.”
Investigators are actively searching video footage from doorbell or security cameras near the crash site, speaking to witnesses and looking into the pilot’s background to gather more information about what led to the crash.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
IN OTHER NEWS:
