Turtle on runway causes plane crash that leaves two dead in NC, officials say

TJ Macias, The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) on Jun 19, 2025

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Two people are dead and one is seriously injured after a small private plane crashed in North Carolina, avoiding a reptile on the runway on June 3, a report said.

According to an aviation investigation preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, the cause of the plane crash was the pilot attempting to avoid a turtle on the runway at Sugar Valley Airport in Mocksville.

A UNICOM operator spotted the turtle and warned a pilot who had landed on the runway. The pilot then lifted the right main wheel to avoid hitting the reptile, the report said.

“The UNICOM operator stated that she heard the pilot advance the throttle after he raised the right wheel,” the NTSB report said. “The airplane left her point of view, and she was unable to see the airplane after that.”

A witness said the wings of the plane “began to rock back and forth” before it took to the air again. The witness lost sight of the plane after it dipped behind the hanger and over the trees, where it vanished, the report said. The witness then “heard a loud crash and saw smoke.”

The NTSB said the plane was discovered more than 250 feet from the end of the runway.

“The airplane was wedged between several trees and remained in one piece except for a few pieces of fabric that were found in an adjacent stream next to the accident site,” the report said. “The fabric on the fuselage, cowling, and wings was completely burned off and the airplane frame was visible.”

The pilot and a passenger were killed, and another passenger was severely injured, per the report. The identities of the individuals who died have not been publicly released.

Mocksville is about a 60-mile drive northeast from Charlotte.