Two people found dead following plane crash in Cherokee County

CHEROKEE COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office announced a private single engine aircraft crashed into a mountainside killing two people Sunday.

The plane left Western Carolina Regional Airport shortly before 8 p.m. on Sunday. Minutes after takeoff, Atlanta air control received a signal from the aircraft’s emergency location transmitter.

Searchers found the plane wreckage Tuesday and confirmed both occupants of the plane died in the crash.

Search crews comprised of members from the USFS, NC National Guard, NCSHP, Valleytown Fire Department, Cherokee County EMS, Cherokee County EMA, Cherokee County Emergency Communications, and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office searched for the plane and the passengers continued throughout the night and into the afternoon Monday.

The names of the deceased have not been released yet, as officials work to notify the next of kin.

The FAA and NTSB are now investigating the crash.

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