Last Updated on April 25, 2016 1:09 pm
*UPDATE – Late Monday night Boone Police released the identity of the crash victims. That information is available at this link.*
1pm Monday April 25 – According to scanner dispatches a plane has crashed on the Boone Golf course. Be advised of heavy fire and police presence in that area and possible road closures in that area. According to scanner dispatches multiple helicopters are being brought in to fly out burn victims.
Video of Boone Police Department press conference at 4:15pm Monday afternoon.
Boone Police Statement:
On April 25, 2016 at 12:56 this afternoon, Boone Police, Boone Fire, The Watauga County Sheriff's Office, and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded to the Boone Golf Course in reference to an airplane crash. What we know now is that a small plane took off from the Boone Airport moments prior to the crash. Witnesses on the golf course noted that the plane appeared to be in distress. The plane clipped the tops of some trees and then crashed onto the golf course. The two witnesses turned into rescuers and were able to assist two victims from the plane crash. A third person on the plane did not survive.
One survivor was flown to Winston-Salem and the other to Johnson City. The man who did not survive is a local resident. He is actually a friend to many in the community. We cannot release the names as extended family members have not all been notified. We are very saddened by this loss and extend our condolences to the family. We hope and pray that the survivors will be ok but serious injuries were sustained.
The Boone Police Department will be conducting the initial investigation; however the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will be responding to conduct further investigation. The NTSB is an independent Federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States. We will assist those agencies in anyway needed.
We would also like to thank the High Country Chaplain Service who responded to the scene to assist with needs of those involved.
Below are the live blog updates as they occurred.
