Airplane explodes into flames after slamming into North Carolina interstate
Two people have been taken to hospital after the airplane was forced into a landing and burst into flames.
An airplane exploded into flames and sent two people to hospital after making an emergency landing in North Carolina.
The single-engine Diamond DA-40 aircraft carrying two people rammed into Interstate 26 at around 8.15pm on Thursday. The pair have not yet been named.
The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office reported that both of those on board were taken to a local hospital. Allen Morgan, a Buncombe County EMD supervisor said: "There does not appear to be any life-threatening injuries." Other than that, their condition remains unknown at this time.
The plane reported problems and asked for assistance just before it made the emergency landing, according to an airport spokesman.
The circumstances around the incident - including why the plane made a forced landing and when exactly the fire started - are not yet clear, but the incident caused highway traffic to become backed up for hours.
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The crash required a team of fire fighters, highway patrol, and police officers to help. The westbound lanes of I-26 were closed, with a detour set up for drivers. The North Carolina Department of Transportation said they would likely remain closed for most of Friday December 15.
The airplane was left completely destroyed by the fire, losing a wing in the process. Reporters at the scene said it looked "unrecognizable" once the fire was put out.
There were also reports of local buildings and homes experiencing power surges and outages at the time of the plane crash.
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One person posted on Facebook: "We may be spending the night out here in this zipper traffic jam. Officials attempting to turn around the entire lane." a person on Facebook said, as they sat in bumper to bumper traffic around 11.10pm.
Another said: "Best stay away from that area for sure ... Prayers for everyone involved in this."
The type of plane involved in the crash, a Diamond DA-40 is reportedly "one of the more desirable used piston singles around," according to The Aviation Consumer.
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