Jun 17

Jun 17 Breaking News: Fatality in small plane crash near Kinston Drag Strip

UPDATE 10:10 pm:

Neuse News can confirm that there has been a fatality involved in the plane crash. The authorities are waiting to notify the victim’s next of kin before they release any further information. The FAA and NTSB are on their way to the scene and it will come under federal jurisdiction.

UPDATE 10:05 pm:

Sandy Bottom VFD Chief Daniel Chewning spoke at a press conference on-site.

“At approximately 8:30 this evening we were alerted to a plane crash out here at the Kinston Drag Strip,” said Chewning. “We do have trucks on standby any time they are racing so I had an apparatus here that was quick to respond to the scene.”

Chewning described what he could confirm about the crash. “They were racing, the only thing we know as of now, is that a plane came into view and crashed into the drag strip.”

Lenoir County EMS, Sandy Bottom Fire Department, South Lenoir, Lenoir County Sheriffs department, and State Highway Patrol are on-site.

“They are waiting right now, the highway patrol is coming and the NTSB. Right now it’s a holding pattern until they get here,” said Chewning.

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At a little before 8:30 pm, a crop-dusting plane crashed near the Kinston Drag Strip. Spectators at the drag strip saw the plane flying low, near the pond. The same plane was spotted earlier today.

Spectator Braxton Outlaw described how the plane was flying prior to the crash. “He came across the side of the drag strip, across that tree line and he was flying real low like he was about to drop dust but we didn’t see dust or didn’t see him spraying nothing.”

“Then he went up straight in the air and did a loop, like twisted it, and then came straight down.,” said Braxton.

Neuse News is awaiting official details of the crash and we will update as information becomes available.