A search for a lost plane carrying eight people is ongoing after it went missing on February 13 off the coast of North Carolina. The flight was set to land at around 2:00 PM, but started behaving erratically before suddenly disappearing from the radar. The fuselage of the plane and several of the bodies of the passengers were uncovered on February 15, but several bodies remain missing

What Was This Plane?

The plane that went missing was a Pilatus PC-12/27 single turboprop plane, with the tail number N79NX. It was registered to the EDP Management Group LLC, which is headquartered out of Wilmington, NC. It left the Hyde County Airport at 1:35 PM on February 13, and was last seen near Beaufort, NC at around 2:01 PM, when it was originally scheduled to land. It was not rediscovered until February 15, when search crews discovered it around 55 feet underwater.

What Happened to the Plane?

At around 2:00 PM, the plane suddenly began experiencing some kind of problems, and started moving erratically on the radar. Shortly thereafter, it crashed into the ocean, about four miles east of Drum Inlet on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. While several of the bodies have been recovered, there are still some that are missing. According to Asa Buck III, the Carteret County Sheriff, there is currently “no indication that anyone survived the crash.”

Who Was On the Plane?

The identities of the passengers were released late Tuesday, with the announcement of the discovery of the fuselage. According to the flight manifest, there were eight passengers on the plane, four of whom were teenagers. Their ages ranged from 15 at the youngest, to 67 at the oldest. The passengers were apparently returning from a duck hunting trip in Engelhard, and were traveling from Hyde County to Beauford.

What Happens Now?

Even though the search for the passengers and the crashed plane are currently ongoing, an investigation into the cause of the crash is already underway. Both the FAA and the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) have commenced investigations into the cause of the accident, including what may have gone wrong. Sheriff Buck stated that the primary focus of search crews was to locate the remaining bodies, with their secondary focus being the recovery of equipment. Once that equipment is recovered and analyzed, it may be able to better point to what went wrong when the plane suddenly crashed.

If you have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you should contact the Tennessee personal injury lawyers at the Keith Williams Law Group. With convenient offices located in Nashville and Lebanon, our lawyers will work with you to create a litigation strategy that protects your legal rights and serves your personal needs. For more information or a free consultation, please contact us at 615-444-2900 or visit our contact page.