Family of 4 killed in small plane crash in Lee County, officials say

SANFORD, N.C. (WNCN) — A family of four was killed Monday afternoon after their small plane crashed in Lee County, officials said.

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, units responded to a report of a plane crash in the area of Valley View Drive and Lower Moncure Road, which is just northeast of Sanford.

Officials from Raleigh Executive Jetport, located a few miles north of the crash site, confirmed the plane that crashed was based at the airport. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the aircraft was a Cirrus SR22 and had four people on board.

NCSHP later identified the victims as Travis Buchanan and Candace Buchanan, both 35 years old, and their two children, 10-year-old Aubrey Buchanan and nine-year-old Walker Buchanan. According to NCSHP, three of the four died at the scene, while the fourth person was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead there.

Flight tracking website FlightAware shows the plane left Merritt Island in Florida around 11 a.m. Monday and was last seen near Sanford around 1:30 p.m.

The National Transportation Safety Board said they will be investigating the accident, and one of their investigators is scheduled to arrive at the scene of the crash tomorrow.