Authorities in Duplin County have located wreckage from a small aircraft that crashed near the county’s airport.
According to officials with the N.C. State Highway Patrol, the remnants were located at 10:07 p.m. Monday.
One person died in the wreck.
The single-engine personal aircraft was located in a swamp 2 miles north of the Duplin County Airport in Kenansville, according to Duplin County Emergency Services Director Rob McDuffie.
The plane is believed to have taken off from the Albert J. Ellis Airport in Jacksonville, according to the Highway Patrol. A ping from an emergency beacon from the plane was activated in Pender, Sampson and Duplin counties.
According to Pender County Sheriff Carson Smith, the call about an emergency beacon from the small aircraft was reported to the sheriff’s office just before 2 p.m. Monday. The beacon was activated in a wooded area near Willard in Pender County.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the crash.
Authorities in Duplin, Wayne, Sampson and Pender counties searched for the missing aircraft. It is believed the aircraft was headed to Detroit, Mich., McDuffie said.
According to the Highway Patrol, the man found with the aircraft was a U.S. Marine. McDuffie said the NTSB has requested the name of the pilot not be released until a positive identification is made.
Check back later for more details on this developing story.
