Gavin Stone | Daily Journal
Law enforcement block the roads that lead to the crash site on Friday. The FAA denied media’s access to the area.
Deceased identified; men were from Florida
Photo courtesy of Anson County Emergency Services
First responders on the road near the scene of the plane crash, which was behind the trees.
WADESBORO — A plane crashed after taking off from the Anson County Airport on Friday, claiming the lives of the pilot and a passenger.
The deceased have since been identified. They are John Styles, 71, of Port Charlotte, FL and Jason Hodson, 42, of Punta Gorda, FL, according to Trooper Ray Pierce with the Highway Patrol. The Federal Aviation Administration did not respond to requests for comment about the cause of the crash on Monday.
Pierce added Monday that the investigation revealed that the two men had travelled north North Carolina and took off from High Point before landing in Anson County.
Airport Manager Rex Edwards said plane took off sometime around 10 a.m. Friday and crashed shortly after takeoff, making impact in a wooded area about a mile north of the airport near Valley Protein.
Edwards said he believes, based on a brief conversation with the two men, that the pair had stopped into Anson County Airport to refuel on their way to Florida.
“They didn’t mention any problems [with the plane] when they were coming in to land,” Edwards said.
An airport employee witnessed the crash, and told Edwards it looked like they attempted to turn back around towards the airport before losing control. The employee then alerted 9-1-1, and the FAA arrived on the scene to investigate the cause of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the incident.
Pierce said the plane “burst into flames” upon impact, and smoke was visible over the trees shortly after they descended.
As a safety precaution, the airport has halted sales of fuel until its fuel distributor determines whether there is an issue with the fuel, according to Edwards. The FAA may look into the airport’s fuel if they suspect it was related to the crash, but Edwards said there “shouldn’t be any issue” and that there hasn’t been any concern over the quality of the fuel in the past.
The airport is functioning normally, apart from the shut down of fuel sales.
The agencies who responded to the scene were as follows: Anson County Emergency Mangement, Wadesboro Fire Department, Anson Rescue Squad, Anson County EMS, Lilesville Fire Department, Ansonville Fire Department, Morven Fire Department, Anson County Airport, Anson County Sheriff’s Office, NCSHP, Anson County 911, NC Forestry and NCDOT.
To support the Daily Journal, subscribe by visiting http://www.yourdailyjouranl.com/subscribe or call 910-997-3111.
Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2673 or gstone@yourdailyjournal.com.