Local News

Federal Officials Investigate Plane Crash in Jordan Lake

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PITTSBORO — Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigatingthe airplane that crashed into Jordan Lake Sunday, killing two.

Investigators will be examining a broken wing and other damage, plusthe plane's working parts to see if they can determine what caused theplane to crash.

Rescue crews pulled 70-year-old James Caudill ofFuquay-Varina and 33-year-old Scott Vogel of Raleigh from the wreckage and triedunsuccessfully to revive them. It took about 10 hours to get the wreckageout of 18 feet of water in Jordan Lake.

The low-flying, open-cockpit Stearman biplane was flyingbetween Farrington Point and Crosswinds Marina when it plunged into thelake around noon, about 200 yards from the lake's northeastern shore near Farrington Point.

Authorities said the single-engine plane was performingaerobatics over the lakewhen it crashed.

Mike Kirk witnessed the crash. He says the plane was flying very lowjust before it hit the water.

Eli Jerchower also saw what happened. He says the pilot flew a loopjust before crashing.

The plane was a Stearman PT-17, used by the Army and Navy totrain pilots for World War II and now popular as aerobatic planesand cropdusters.

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