Murphy, NC— On Sunday 03, October 2021, a private single engine aircraft crashed into a mountainside just north of Andrews North Carolina. The single engine Beechcraft B35 departed Western Carolina Regional Airport shortly before 8:00p.m. on October 03, 2021. Minutes after takeoff Atlanta air control received a signal from the aircraft’s emergency location transmitter. Searchers located the wreckage today and confirmed that both occupants have died in the crash. Investigators from the NTSB and FAA are enroute to the scene.

The search for the missing aircraft and its occupants continued throughout the night and into the afternoon hours of October 04, 2021. The search crews were comprised of members of the USFS, NC National Guard, NCSHP, Valleytown Fire Department, Cherokee County EMS, Cherokee County EMA, Cherokee County Emergency Communications, and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

The names of the deceased are not being released pending notification to next of kin.  The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office extends our prayers for the family and wishes to express our sincere gratitude to all those where were involved in bringing this to a conclusion. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office does not anticipate any further press releases concerning this matter as the FAA and NTSB will be conducting the investigation.