MOCKSVILLE, N.C. — On June 3, a small aircraft tragically crashed near a North Carolina airport after the pilot lifted a landing wheel to dodge a turtle on the runway, as indicated by a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The crash of the Universal Stinson 108, which occurred near Sugar Valley Airport in Mocksville, resulted in the deaths of the pilot and one passenger, while another passenger sustained serious injuries.
A communications operator at the airport, watching from an office window, informed the pilot about the turtle’s presence on the runway. According to the report released this week, the pilot initially landed approximately 1,400 feet along a runway that spans 2,424 feet. To avoid the turtle, the pilot raised the right main wheel. The operator then heard the plane’s throttle being increased, but the view of the aircraft was subsequently lost.
A witness mowing grass at the runway’s end observed the pilot elevating the right wheel to evade the turtle, followed by the aircraft’s wings swaying, and the plane taking off once again. However, this witness eventually lost sight of the plane, only to then hear a crash and notice rising smoke.
The crash site was in a dense, wooded area around 255 feet away from the runway, where the plane ignited after the crash, reports confirmed. The aircraft was lodged between multiple trees and largely remained intact aside from a few pieces of fabric discovered in a nearby stream. It settled on its left side, with the left wing tucked beneath the fuselage and the right wing bent backward toward the tail.
Preliminary reports like this one focus on assembling facts from the scene without hypothesizing on probable causes, as per the NTSB’s website. Speculations and conclusions are reserved for the final reports, whose completion can span from one to two years.