North Carolina: Pilot dies after plane crashes into truck on I-85

Plane collided with truck near Davidson County Airport

A plane has crashed into a lorry in North Carolina, killing the pilot on impact, and injuring the truck driver.

A Beechcraft Barron plane hit the vehicle on the I-85 South near Davidson County Airport at around 5.30pm on Wednesday, reported the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the circumstances of the crash, but initial evaluations suggest that the plane was taking off from the airport runway when the incident occurred.

The tractor-trailer was overturned during the crash, but the driver reportedly only suffered minor injuries and is being treated in a hospital in Winston-Salem. News outlet WRAL.com has identified the pilot as 43-year-old Raymond John Ackley.

“Apparently it was having some problem in takeoff,” said witness Donald Holt Sr of the plane in the crash, reported WRAL.com. “My wife said, ‘The plane is kinda low.’ I said, ‘Yes, it is.’”

The husband and wife saw the tail of the crashed plane and the tractor-trailer on its side: “Both were on fire,” said Holt. “As we got a little further, we saw a bunch of smoke – white smoke and black smoke.”

Parts of the aircraft covered the I-85 following the crash and traffic was backed up for hours as emergency crews put out fires and cleared the wreckage.

Davidson County Airport next to the I-85 (Google Maps)