Raleigh flight student among 2 victims identified in deadly, fiery plane crash near Siler City Airport

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina officials on Sunday identified the two people who died in a plane crash in Chatham County Friday afternoon.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced at 12:50 p.m. Friday that a single-engine Piper PA-28 plane crashed near the Siler City Municipal Airport.

The plane with a flight instructor and a student on board was traveling from Raleigh Executive Airport in Sanford to Siler City Municipal Airport.

Flight instructor McMillan Abernathy of Beech Mountain and student Justin Strauss of Raleigh died in the crash, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol announced Sunday afternoon. The ages of the two victims were not available, police said.

The plane, owned by Executive Flight Training and Services, was scheduled to land at the Siler City Airport around 1:15 p.m.

A nearby witness called 911 after seeing “black smoke” coming from the plane. First responders said the plane was engulfed in fire when they arrived.