Two men are dead Thursday afternoon after a small jet crashed while attempting to land at the Greenville Downtown Airport in South Carolina.
The two fatalities appear to have been caused by blunt force trauma, according to the coroner. One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was pronounced dead at the hospital. According to officials, there were four people on board — two pilots and two passengers. The two survivors were transported to the hospital and are being treated. The names of the deceased have not yet been released.
Airport Director Joe Frasher said the jet was unable to stop while landing, and went off the end of the runway and crashed into an embankment around 1:40 p.m. He said officials are unable to determine the cause of the crash at this time.
Frasher said officials do not know the itinerary of the flight, or where the Falcon 50 jet had flown in from.
Hazmat crews are responding to the scene, as the broken plane is leaking jet fuel. Crews are working to contain the spill, but officials said some fuel may have flowed into local streams near the airport. Authorities are warning residents to stay away from local water sources for a few days until the leak is contained and the water is tested.
Frasher said fatal crashes like this one are rare.
“We have aircrafts this large and larger routinely land at this airport,” he said. “It’s routine and very rare that this has happened. In the past 20 years, we’ve had three or four minor incidents and this is definitely the most serious.”
He said the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the scene in an effort to shed light on the events leading up to the crash.