Small plane crash near airport in South Carolina kills pilot

MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA (BNO NEWS) — A small plane crashed near an airport in South Carolina on early Monday afternoon, killing the pilot, federal and local authorities said.

The Comp Air 8 aircraft crashed around 2 p.m. local time near 700 Faison Road in Mount Pleasant, a suburban town in Charleston County, according to Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Lunsford said the pilot was on an instrument flight plan from Merritt Island, Florida to Mount Pleasant. “He had been in contact with air traffic control until just before the accident, when he radioed that he had the airport in sight,” Lunsford said. “There was no further contact.

Lunsford said the aircraft crashed in a marshy area within the airport boundaries. “Our investigator has arrived [at the scene] and is beginning the investigation into the probable cause,” he added.

A Comp Air 8 aircraft is typically capable of carrying eight people, but the aircraft that crashed was only carrying its pilot when it went down.

A spokesman for the Mount Pleasant Police Department said there was heavy smoke at the crash site when they arrived on scene. “But [the Fire Department] has it contained,” he added.

Federal records showed the plane was registered to Bogco Aviation, Inc. out of Wilmington, Delaware. A phone number for the company could not immediately be located, and a search showed hundreds of companies were located at the registered address.

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