North Carolina Outer Banks plane crash that killed 5 under investigation

KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. -- Federal investigators are examining evidence to determine what led to a plane crash last weekend on North Carolina’s Outer Banks that killed five people, including a 6-year-old.

A single-engine Cirrus SR-22 airplane crashed late Saturday afternoon in a wooded area at the Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport in Kill Devil Hills, the National Park Service said. Everyone on the plane died.

The park service on Tuesday identified the four adults on board as Shashwat Ajit Adhikari, 31, of Silver Spring, Maryland; Jason Ray Campbell, 43, and Kate McAllister Neely, 39, both of Southern Pines; and Matthew Arthur Fassnacht, 44, of Marietta, Georgia. The child’s name was not released.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what happened.

NTSB Aviation Accident Investigator Ryan Enders said Sunday the plane was on a multileg flight, flying from Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, when the aircraft tried to land. Witnesses reported seeing the plane approach the runway, circle and then veer and crash into the trees, where it caught fire, The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Virginia, reported. There were no plane mayday calls before the crash, Enders said.

Enders said last weekend that a preliminary report would be released in about 10 days, with a more extensive report and probable cause being released later.

The First Flight Airport, located about 75 miles (121 kilometers) southeast of Norfolk, was established 96 years ago and commemorates the site where Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first powered flight on Dec. 17, 1903.