May 5 (UPI) — The pilot and co-pilot of a cargo plane died when it crashed at a Charleston, W. Va., airport on Friday, the Kanawha County Commission reported.
The plane, a twin-engine Short 330, was owned by Air Cargo Carrier, a company that subcontracts with UPS. Authorities said the plane arrived too fast and sideways at a runway at Charleston’s Yeager Airport, then struck the runway, rolled over in a cartwheel motion and landed on a hill near a heavily wooded area adjacent to the airport, WSAZ-TV, Charleston, reported.
Officials said one wing of the plane was severed in the crash, with the rest of the aircraft 150 feet away. First responders had trouble accessing the plane due to the denseness of the vegetation at the scene.
Yeager Airport spokesman Mike Plante said the two casualties were the only people aboard the plane, noting there was nothing to indicate the plane was having trouble until the crash. He added that the airport will remain closed until the National Transportation Safety Board permits it to open. The names of the victims were not released.
The plane was contracted to UPS during its flight from Louisville, UPS confirmed.
West Virginia’s Air and National Guard, and Charleston’s police and fire department joined airport personnel in responding to the accident.
