4 Taken to Cape Fear Valley After Plane Crashes in Gray's Creek

Four people were taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center after a small plane crashed Monday at Gray's Creek Airport south of Fayetteville.

The Gray's Creek Airport is off Butler Nursery Road.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said the plane was a Cessna C172 and it crashed at 1:50 p.m. "The FAA will investigate and the NTSB will determine the probable cause of the accident," she said.

The students on board the plane were participating in an aviation careers day as part of the Workforce Development program. At the time of the crash four people — three students and the pilot — were on the plane. They were taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, according to Sally Shutt, Cumberland County spokeswoman.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the four young adults injured in today's accident," Shutt said.

Cape Fear High School student Patrick Martinez and his mother, Deirdre A. Diamond-Martinez, said the flight was part of an educational program that exposes young people to different job opportunities they might want to pursue.

Patrick said he was on a flight prior to the one the crashed. He said he flew for about 30 minutes and the pilot allowed him and another passenger to briefly take the controls.

After his flight, Patrick said, he was in a building by the airstrip when someone ran inside and told everyone the plane had crashed.

Patrick was worried, he and his mother said, because his mentor in the educational program was in the crashed plane.

This is a developing story and will be up dated as information becomes available.

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