Bodies removed from plane crash site

SHINE - Authorities have removed the bodies of two people killed this afternoon in a plane crash off Oakdale Drive.

Shine Fire Chief Jeremy Anderson said the small passenger plane crashed around 1:15 p.m. today about 100 yards behind a row of houses on Oakdale Drive. When firefighters arrived on the scene, the plane was fully engulfed in flames. It took firefighters 15 minutes to extinguish the blaze.

Firefighters from New Hope and Jason also assisted. The field where the plane crashed belongs to Triple S Farms and is owned by Ken Smith.

The names of the victims and the aircraft's tail number have not been released. Anderson said investigators haven't determined where the plane took off from or where it was heading.

The state Emergency Management Department is on the scene. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Traffic Safety Board are scheduled to arrive shortly.

Jennifer Anderson, the wife of the Shine fire chief who lives on Oakdale Drive, said she was home when she heard a "screeching noise and a loud explosion."

She said after seeing the smoke and fire coming from the wreckage site, she called her husband.

Robbie Chase got a closer view of the wreckage, saying he got within 25 to 30 feet of the aircraft before the heat became too much to handle.

Chase said he saw one of the plane's occupants from where he stood, but the heat and flames prevented him from pulling the body out. He said there was no movement from the victim, however.

Check back with Kinston.com for more updates or see Friday's Free Press.