2 die in fiery Johns Island plane crash
Witnesses say aircraft hooked left, turned upside down
BY GLENN SMITH
Of The Post and Courier Staff (4-6-2004)
Two people died Monday afternoon when a twin-engine airplane crashed into a dense snarl of woods on Johns Island after taking off from Charleston Executive Airport, authorities said.
One witness saw smoke billowing from the Aerostar's left engine before the plane hooked sharply left and headed for the tree line. Another witness said the plane turned upside down before it plunged to the ground and crashed.
The plane burst into flames when it slammed into a wooded area across from the airport on River Road about 3:30 p.m., authorities said. It had just taken on fuel and had more than 100 gallons onboard, said Charleston County Sheriff's Lt. Mikel Benton. Rescuers had a hard time getting to the wreckage because the plane came down in a thick tangle of woods about a half-mile from the roadway.
Fast-burning fuel from the plane also made it difficult for rescuers to reach the wreckage, said Don Lundy, director of Charleston County Emergency Medical Services.
Two people were on board, but they were not immediately identified. Authorities said further information about the crash would be released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
NTSB investigators were en route from Atlanta late Monday. The airplane registration is pending out of Bend, Ore., according to the Federal Aviation Administration registry.
Authorities said they didn't know where the plane was headed or if the flight originated at the Charleston Executive Airport or the craft had just stopped there for fuel.
Benton estimated the crash area was 200 yards in diameter, but said the site was barely visible due to heavy smoke.
Joan Leclerc of Seabrook Island was driving along River Road with her husband, Bob, when she saw the plane in distress.
"I saw smoke coming out of the left engine and then the plane hooked to the left," she said. "I said 'Honey, I think that plane is going down.' " The couple lost sight of it as they drove by a stand of trees.
"We turned back, and that's when we saw all the smoke," said Bob Leclerc, who is a pilot.
A thick plume of gray and white smoke rose from the woods and smeared across the blue sky. The couple, who estimated the plane was no higher than 400 feet when it went down, quickly called 911 to report the crash.
Bob Gilbert, a fight instructor with Pro Flight, was landing a plane with a student when he saw the Aerostar head down the runway for take-off. They lost sight of the plane for a moment while it passed behind a hangar. When they saw it next, it was flying upside down, he said.
"We were wondering why that plane was doing acrobatics so low, but then we instantly realized that it wasn't acrobatics. They must have been having a malfunction," he said. "They basically went inverted and disappeared behind the trees."
Gilbert said he didn't see any smoke coming from the engine, but a problem of that sort would explain the plane's erratic flight.
Scores of emergency workers rushed to the area but found access to the crash site difficult. Joan Leclerc said she saw three Charleston police officers abandon their cars and take off running through a grassy field to reach the woods beyond where the plane crashed. Guiding rescue efforts were a pair of law enforcement helicopters that buzzed in and out of the smoke plume as they circled the crash site.
Police brought mobile communication trucks, all-terrain vehicles, off-road motorcycles and other equipment to assist with the search.
The plane lay in a mangled, scorched heap, and its fuel burned the woods around it. By 5 p.m., crews were beginning to gain an upper hand over the fire.
Pam Cherry, a Johns Island pilot, stood along River Road and watched smoke pour from the forest. She said the airport told her the downed plane had been refueled just before taking off.
"There's no way they're alive, not with all that smoke," she said, shaking her head. "Any time you see something like that and you're a pilot, it kind of strikes real close to home."
