Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Search for plane that crashed off North Carolina coast with eight on board including teens on hunting trip

Helicopter and boats sent to look for small aircraft

Gino Spocchia
Monday 14 February 2022 15:37 EST
Comments
A US Coast Guard helicopter has been dispatched to look for the plane and passengers
A US Coast Guard helicopter has been dispatched to look for the plane and passengers (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The US Coast Guard is searching for a plane that crashed off the coast of North Carolina with eight people on board.

Reports suggested the plane was flying “erratically” before falling into the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday afternoon.

Officials said the passengers included four teenagers who were returning home from a hunting trip. None of the passengers have been accounted for as of Monday afternoon.

In a statement, the US Coast Guard said it and local emergency responders were dispatched to search for the plane.

Copying the words of a radio control tower, the Coast Guard said the small aircraft was “seen behaving erratically on radar and then disappeared from the radar screen”.

That disappearance came at about 2pm on Sunday, and roughly four miles east of Drum Inlet – an inlet some 60 miles east of the city of Jacksonville.

Responders carried on looking for the plane on Monday with assistance from the National Park Service, fire departments and beach crews, the Coast Guard said in its statement.

A helicopter was also dispatched from Air Station Elizabeth City.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in