3 dead after plane that took off in North Carolina crashed in New York, officials say
Three people were killed when a plane that took off in North Carolina crashed in western New York, officials say.
Wreckage of the twin-engine aircraft was found Monday morning, hours after the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office said in news releases.
In a preliminary statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said a Grumman American GA-7 crashed after leaving Burlington Alamance Regional Airport, roughly 20 miles east of Greensboro, North Carolina.
“The pilot, his sister and a family friend” were on the private aircraft when it went missing at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday, according to officials.
Officials say all three people on the plane died when the plane went down at about 6 p.m. in Ellicott, a town roughly 70 miles southwest of Buffalo and near Jamestown Regional Airport.
Those onboard are believed to be from Pennsylvania and were identified as Linda Edwards, Allen Fuller and Valerie Holmes.
Chautauqua Sheriff James B. Quattrone said weather may have played a role in the crash, which federal officials are investigating, according to Western New York News Now’s footage of a press conference.
Overnight Sunday, winter weather advisories were issued for areas south of Buffalo as forecasters predicted up to 7 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
