Plane that crashed into Franklin County pond was carrying three people, FAA says

Three people were aboard a single-engine plane that crashed into a pond shortly after taking off in Franklin County on Friday night, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

A Cessna C182 crashed into Clifton Pond south of Louisburg at about 7:20 p.m., according to the FAA. The plane took off from Triangle North Executive Airport and was heading to Hilton Head, S.C., when it crashed less than two miles south of the airport.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that two women and a man died in the crash, according to ABC11 WTVD, the News & Observer’s media partner. Their names or where they lived have not been released.

A report by WRAL said the plane was in water with scattered debris nearby. Crews worked to pull the plane from the water on Saturday afternoon.

The FAA will investigate the crash and provide information to the National Transportation Safety Board, which will determine the likely cause.

Phone calls to the airport were not returned Friday night. Sheriff Kent Winstead did not immediately respond to a phone call from The News & Observer.

Learn more about this crash from WTVD at https://abc11.com/5163740/

This story was originally published March 1, 2019 at 9:04 PM with the headline "Plane that crashed into Franklin County pond was carrying three people, FAA says."