Medical plane crashes in North Carolina, injuring pilot and doctor on board
A small medical plane crashed at a North Carolina airport on Wednesday, injuring the pilot and a doctor on board.
The aircraft came to a complete stop in grass after crashing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) at around 10:10 a.m. ET. The doctor and the pilot were taken to a separate hospitals, according to UNC Health.
UNC Health has learned that one of its UNC Air Operations medical planes crashed this morning at RDU. The plane was carrying one physician and the pilot. Both have been taken to the hospital. We are working to gather more information.https://t.co/XSUpGKWWhU
— UNC Health (@UNC_Health_Care) April 24, 2024
The general aviation aircraft was arriving at the airport from Wilmington, North Carolina, the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority said in a statement to USA TODAY.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop, halting planes from departing from the airport and diverting arriving flights to other airports. The stoppage was lifted around 11:30 a.m.
There are conflicting reports about the plane type. The FAA told USA TODAY its aircraft registry lists the aircraft type as a single-engine Socata TBM-700 while the tail number records say it's a TBM-850.
Physician identified as Dr. Paul Chelminski
The physician on the plane has been identified as Dr. Paul Chelminski, who is in internal medicine at UNC Health. He was taken to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and has since been released, UNC Health news director Alan M. Wolf said.
Chelminski, a professor of medicine and pharmacy, was returning from Wilmington after giving a lecture at the Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
The pilot, identified as Art Johnson, was taken to Duke University Hospital in Durham and was in fair condition, Wolf added.
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to investigate the accident.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: North Carolina medical plane crashes, injuring doctor and pilot