A family of four, including two young kids, was killed when their small plane crashed in North Carolina on their return from a beach trip.
Travis Buchanan, 35, his wife, Candace Buchanan, 35, and their children, Aubrey, 10, and Walker, 9, died when their Cirrus SR22 crashed in a rural part of Lee County, not far from the Raleigh Executive Jetport, around 2 p.m. Monday, the North Carolina Highway Patrol told ABC 11.
Three of the family members died at the scene, while a fourth was rushed to an area hospital, where they died from their injuries, officials said.
Aerial footage from WRAL over the crash site shows the plane splintered into smithereens in a wide-open field surrounded by responders.
Officials did not say from where the plane had departed or where it was heading.
However, a staffer at the family’s farm said they were returning from the beach.
The family “helped me all the time,” said Abraham Garcia, who worked for them at Buchanan Farms in Sanford, about 40 miles southeast of Raleigh, for eight years, living at the property.
The children were both pupils at Grace Christian School in Sanford, where Aubrey was going into fifth grade and Walker was going into fourth grade.
“During this incredibly difficult time, we stand together in support of their family and one another,” the school posted on Facebook.
“We extend our love, prayers and deepest condolences to their family, friends, classmates, teachers and staff.”
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash.