Plane crashes near remote summer camp, NC cops say. Three on board rushed to hospitals
Three people were rushed to hospitals after a plane crashed near a summer camp in the remote North Carolina mountains, officials said.
The single-engine aircraft went down in the woods at the edge of Camp Kahdalea on Thursday, June 16, according to the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office.
“It was far away, but one person walked away from it and told us they needed help,” camp director David Trufant told The Transylvania Times.
Camp Kahdalea on its website said it welcomes girls ages 8 to 17 to its facilities in Brevard, roughly 35 miles southwest of Asheville. About 120 campers and 50 workers were at the Christian camp at the time of the crash, The Transylvania Times reported.
“None of the camps staff or attendees were in the area where the plane went down as it crashed in a remote wooded area on the edge of the camp boundaries,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a news release.
Deputies said three people who have ties to the camp were on a Cessna 172 when it crashed at about 6:20 p.m.
“These were camp parents doing a fly-over of the camps and reportedly taking pictures,” directors David and Anne Trufant wrote in a news release. “Upon arrival by camp personnel to help, the first thing they said was, ‘The plane became unresponsive’ and they went down in a wooded area.”
All three people in the crash were taken to hospitals with injuries that appear to be non-life-threatening, according to officials.
“We want to take a moment to recognize the speed, professionalism, and great work of the paramedics and rescue personnel from Transylvania County,” the camp directors said. “They were very quick and very good. We thank God that the three involved were rescued quickly and were conscious and talkative.”
The FAA in a preliminary statement said it would investigate the crash along with the National Transportation Safety Board.
This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 8:52 AM with the headline "Plane crashes near remote summer camp, NC cops say. Three on board rushed to hospitals."
