JOHNS ISLAND, SC (WCIV) — This is the latest information on a plane crash that occurred near the Charleston Executive Airport on Johns Island, South Carolina, on Saturday night, March 21, 2020.
(5:45 p.m., March 22)
A pilot is dead after his small airplane crashed Saturday evening, March 21, outside Charleston.
Andrew Meyer, 64, of Tampa, Florida, died from injuries suffered when his Cessna 310 aircraft crashed near the Charleston Executive Airport on Johns Island around 7 p.m. Saturday, according to the Charleston County Coroner's Office.
Meyer was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
Air traffic control audio provided to ABC News 4 indicates Meyer's twin-engine plane may have been experiencing mechanical problems in one of its engines as he made his way from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, to Zephyrhills, Florida.
Federal aviation authorities are investigating the official cause of the incident.
(9:45 p.m., March 21)
A Cessna 310 aircraft with only the pilot aboard crashed Saturday night the Charleston Executive Airport on Johns Island (JZI), according to officials with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Charleston County Aviation Authority.
The plane crashed around 7 p.m. in a wooded area about one mile north of JZI, according to Spencer Pryor, communications director for the Charleston County Aviation Authority.
The aircraft had departed from an airport in North Carolina headed for an airport in Florida, according to Arlene Salac, a regional spokesperson for the FAA.
The pilot was attempting to land at JZI when the accident occurred, Salac added. Authorities have not revealed details about the pilot's condition.
JZI is a small two-runway airport serving the general aviation community. It is located about 7 miles southwest of Charleston.
The FAA is continuing to investigate the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will work to determine the most likely cause of the accident.
The Charleston County Rescue Squad, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Charleston, the Charleston County Aviation Authority Police, local fire departments other emergency responders were dispatched to aid in search and rescue efforts.
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(8:15 p.m., March 21)
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Charleston helicopter crews are assisting in search and rescue operations related to a plane reported to have gone down near the Charleston Executive Airport on Johns Island on Saturday night.
A USCG spokesperson says Sector Charleston crews are aiding the Charleston County Sheriff's Office and other local emergency responders in search efforts.
Initial reports show one person was aboard the Cessna aircraft, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson.
A source tells ABC News 4 the plane is believed to have gone down in a wooded area near marsh north of the airport.
(Stay with ABC News 4 for updates to this developing story.)