A small plane took down power lines before crashing into a North Carolina lake Sunday, killing both people on board and cutting off power for thousands, WSOC reports.
Breaking Hickory- police and fire have responded to a plane crash in Lake Hickory. Firefighters say the plane struck high tension power lines causing widespread outages north of downtown. Watch channel 9 for updates on this developing story. pic.twitter.com/cjLruGEMq8
— Dave Faherty (@FahertyWSOC9) August 13, 2023
Sixty-three-year-old pilot Jeffrey Jay Cooley and his passenger, 49-year-old Brian Frank Miller were killed when their plane crashed into a lake in Hickory, North Carolina, according to WSOC.
Hickory emergency responders were called to the scene around 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning. They were assisted by response teams from surrounding counties, according to WSOC. (RELATED: Four Killed In Separate Crashes At Wisconsin Air Show, Including Bruce Collie’s Daughter)
The plane, a single-engine Scoda Aeuronautica Super Petrol according to the Daily Beast, took out high-tension power lines, causing widespread outages north of downtown Hickory, according to WSOC.
Though power was restored to most residents by late Sunday afternoon, at its peak the area saw over 18,000 people without power, Queen City News’ Sydney Heiberger reported.
The cause of the crash is yet unknown, but both the Federal Aviation Agency and the National Transportation Safety Board say they have investigations underway, per WSOC.