A small plane crashed south of Whiteville, and reports differed on how many people were aboard. Dustin and Autumn Davis, a Hickory couple traveling with their two dogs, survived the crash.
According to WSOC-TV, Dustin Davis was piloting a single-engine Piper PA-32 when the aircraft began having engine trouble and went down south of Whiteville. The station reports they tried to make it to Columbus County Regional Airport but didn’t make it. Dustin Davis described the terrifying moment the engine cut out, telling the station, “It was silence,” before he urged his wife to pray.
The crash site was near the intersection of Rough and Ready Road and Shade Fisher Road, according to the News Reporter, which identified Dustin Davis as the aircraft’s registered owner.
Conflicting Accounts of Who Was Aboard
Accounts differ on how many people were aboard. The Associated Press described two people and two dogs escaping the crash, while WWAY reported that three people survived. The available reports do not resolve the discrepancy.
WSOC-TV reported that Dustin and Autumn Davis and their two dogs walked away from the wreckage, and that the couple was hospitalized with minor injuries. That injury description differs from the Associated Press account, which said the occupants escaped uninjured.
Investigators Work to Determine the Cause
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash. No further findings or timeline for a final determination have been released.
Airport and accident context
The FAA Chart Supplement lists Columbus County Regional Airport’s runway 06-24 as 5,500 feet long and asphalt.
For broader context, the Federal Aviation Administration, working with the General Aviation Joint Safety Committee, lists loss of control in flight and power system component failure as the top two causes of fatal general aviation accidents from 2014 through 2023. Those national figures do not establish what caused this crash.
For now, the Davis family and their two dogs are recovering after a flight that nearly ended in tragedy over the Columbus County woods. No further details on the investigation’s findings or a timeline for a final determination have been released.
