UPDATE 12/13, 10 a.m.: Officials say a third person died after being taken to the hospital Saturday. The victim, Erik Carlson, 27, is the son of Terry Carlson, who also died in the crash.
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FARMINGTON, Pa. (AP) — Authorities have released the names of two men killed in the crash of a small plane shortly after takeoff at a posh resort in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The Fayette County coroner’s office said Saturday that Terry Carlson, 68, and Jason Willems, 26, died in the crash. A spokesman said both men were from Maryland, but their hometowns hadn’t yet been confirmed. A third man injured in the crash was transported to UPMC Mercy’s trauma and burn center.
Authorities said the Beechcraft went down at about 2:15 p.m. Friday in a wooded area about a half-mile from the airfield at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, about 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
Capital Edge Consulting, a Reston, Virginia-based firm that advises clients who have contracts with government agencies, said both victims were company employees. The company identified the third man in the plane as Erick Carlson and said he was critically injured.
“We are all devastated at the loss of these two Capital Edge family members,” CEO and managing director Chad Braley said in a statement.
Federal authorities said two witnesses to the crash have come forward and will be interviewed by an investigator who is at the scene.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigator took an initial look Saturday at the aircraft and the engine, which will be moved to a secure location for a more detailed examination, NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said Saturday. The investigator will also be looking at weather, maintenance records and the pilot’s records, he said.
Sources told Pittsburgh’s Action News that the Beechcraft BE36 crashed and caught fire shortly after takeoff when the one of the doors on the plane malfunctioned, came off and hit the plane’s wing.
The resort was built by 84 Lumber founder Joe Hardy, and includes a golf course, luxury hotel, casino and an airfield. It has a 3,800-foot runway, suitable for smaller planes, according to the resort’s website.
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