FOX NEWS: Pilots killed in South Carolina airport plane crash
Channel: Breaking news
Date: 2018-09-28

FOX NEWS: Pilots killed in South Carolina airport plane crash

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Two people were killed Thursday when a mid-sized jet tried to land at the airport here but ran off the runway and split in two, causing a fuel leak.

The reason for the crash that killed the pilot and co-pilot at the Greenville Downtown Airport was unclear.

The Greenville County Coroner's Office said the plane overshot the runway, with the fuselage breaking at the cabin after the jet crashed on Tower Drive. Witnesses said the plane appeared to land without a problem until it overshot the runway and barreled down a steep embankment.

“We all saw it land, and for some reason it did not stop," said airport director Joe Frasher.

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The pilot was identified Friday as John Christian Caswell, 49, of Port St. Lucie, Florida. He was pronounced dead about an hour after the crash occurred Thursday, according to the coroner's office.

The co-pilot was identified as Stephen George Fox, 66, of Indian Rocks, Florida. The pilot was a 49-year-old man whose name was not released as of late Thursday. The Coroner's Office hadn't been able to notify his next of kin.

A married man and woman were the passengers on the plane. They were in critical condition at the hospital, said Tristan Johnson, a spokesman for the Greenville Fire Department.

Hospital spokeswoman Sandra Dees said she couldn't share details of the patients' conditions. Frasher said he understood that one of the passengers was in surgery and the other was speaking.

The crash, involving a Dassault Falcon 50 model commonly used in business travel, is the worst in at least 20 years at the airport, Frasher said. The jet probably was landing to pick up more passengers when it ran off a runway embankment and hit nose first, he said.

“In maybe 20 years, we might have had three to four minor incidents and this is probably the most serious,” Frasher said. “We have aircraft this large and larger routinely land at this ramp. It’s very rare that this has happened.”

Sam Grice, a flight instructor at the airport who just finished landing from an earlier flight before the crash, said he saw the plane landing, but then looked away and didn't realize it had crashed.

"I feel like it flared, and he just kind of floated a little bit," said Grice. "All of the sudden, right before I walked inside, people were like, 'That jet just ran off the runway.' "

The jet engine was running after it crashed until the gear could be disengaged.

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Kathryn Johnson, of Greenville, lives close to the airport and said she comes to the south ramp often to watch planes take off and land. She said seeing there was a crash is “awful.”

“It’s beautiful. It’s a great airport. You never see anything like this,” she said. “The planes take off here effortlessly.” Source :
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