Last Updated on June 24, 2026 12:36 pm
MORGANTON — A small plane ran off the runway at Foothills Regional Airport Wednesday morning, injuring the pilot and prompting a state highway patrol response and a federal aviation investigation.
North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers in Burke County were dispatched to the airport at approximately 10:55 a.m. Upon arrival, troopers located a single-engine aircraft off the right side of the runway near its end.
Investigators believe the plane was attempting to take off when it lost directional control, veering to the right of the runway and coming to rest in a ditch. Troopers determined the aircraft was not airborne at the time of the incident.
The pilot was transported to UNC Health Blue Ridge in Morganton with minor injuries and was described as awake and alert. A pilot in training who was also aboard was not injured.
The Federal Aviation Administration is handling the investigation.
