U.S. Coast Guard updates on search for 8 passengers in plane that crashed off NC coast

Good evening everyone

My name is Lieutenant Commander Catherine Blue and I am

the Public Affairs officer for the Coast Guard fifth District

Today we are here to provide information on the plane

crash that occurred sunday evening our search efforts as well

as next steps with me

Today is Captain Matthew Bayer Sector commander for sector north

Carolina and Sheriff Asa buck carteret County Sheriff's office

We will offer after statements

We will open the floor to questions Because of ongoing

operations

We'll have time for about 30 minutes of questions and

now we'll turn it over to sheriff buck

Thank you

Good evening

Yesterday after two o'clock our County Communication Center received a

call from Cherry Point notifying us that an aircraft had

gone down in the area Drum Inlet just all from

the atlantic community in the ocean side

Just often Poor banks are deputies were dispatched to the

area

Numerous first responders

Coast Guard was notified and dispatched

Their vessels came out to the area of the crash

site as well as their helicopter

And uh after a period of time searching a debris

field was located approximately three miles off of the shore

off of the drum inlet area just all from the

atlantic community and numerous personnel began arriving on scene

Marine Patrol numerous citizens and private vessels in an attempt

to locate the aircraft or the wreckage

And since that time late into the evening

Last night ah numerous agencies have been engaged in a

search attempting to locate the passengers on board the plane

and the and the wreckage of the plane itself

That search went into and some of the recovery went

well into the evening into the early morning overnight and

then this morning members agencies came back out and located

the debris field again which had moved further offshore 5-10-15

mi offshore

We have three separate debris fields now and crews have

been out searching those areas all day and we're also

still at this time in the process of locating the

main part of the plane the fuselage in an attempt

to to locate that that section of the plane

Um and to continue to locate any of the passengers

that were aboard the plane

There were eight passengers aboard the plane

Captain

Thank you very much Sheriff

Um first and foremost I want to express our condolences

and sympathies to the families

We have been in communication with the families here down

east and we want them to know that our thoughts

and prayers are with them but also our actions are

with them as well

We continue to actively search both offshore

I'm looking for the debris fields

The Sheriff talked about with with many partner agencies North

Carolina Marine Patrol the Downeast Fire Department and carteret County

Sheriff's as well

So we we've got an all hands on deck event

going on here with our partners and we want we

want the citizens of carteret county and eastern north Carolina

to know that your Coast Guard is out there

Uh you know doing our absolute best you know alongside

our partners um beyond that as the sheriff said we

two got got an alert yesterday a little after two

o'clock from the carter I'm sorry from the Marine Corps

Air station Cherry point air traffic controllers talking to us

about about an aircraft that had gone off radar

When our crews arrived alongside local and state agencies and

volunteer citizens from this boating community out here we found

debris consistent with what you would expect from a downed

aircraft

So we continue to search we continue to look um

we've had vessels from as far away as uh of

Cape May New Jersey working offshore the Coast Guard cutter

Rollin Fritsch is out there about to be relieved right

now by the Coast Guard cutter Richard Snyder from right

over Atlantic Beach and Fort Macon

We also brought a response boat down from Station Hatteras

Um you know up up in the outer banks As

well as a 47 ft motor lifeboat from Fort Macon

as well

We've we've also had aircraft flying uh you know since

yesterday afternoon eight multiple H 60 Jayhawk sorties were flown

out of Elizabeth city

North Carolina as well as multiple C 1 30

That's a fixed wing aircraft

C 1 30 over flights have been flown as well

So um again we're we're actively searching remaining in good

communications with the family

So with that um you know I stand with the

sheriff and prepared to take any questions you may have

So at this point we have heard that there were

four students from carter at schools on board as well

as a pilot a guide who was leading those students

on a trip and then one other adult

Are we prepared to confirm any of that or the

identity The purpose of the trip The identity of the

people who were on board at the time

Any of that information Well out of respect for the

families were not prepared to go into that much detail

At this point we can confirm that there were eight

passengers aboard the plane

Is there anything I'm sorry

I am also in the year

But um wanting to ask we're going we're getting calls

about some law enforcement at Beaufort ramp boat ramp boat

we saw some ambulances and all that kind of stuff

Does that have anything to do with the surface Well

we've we've been in the process of recovering parts of

the plane and we are part of our mission as

well is to is to recover the passengers on board

the plane

I don't want to go into too much to tell

in that regard

Again for respect for the families

I can tell you that one person that was aboard

the plane has been identified but the other passengers have

not yet and we're still in the process of trying

to locate the remains of the passengers who were aboard

the plane

So you're saying that one person's body was found or

that what do you say So one person's body was

found

One person has been identified yet and they're they're deceased

Do we know any information on news disease We have

no indication that anyone survived the crash

So I know we're talking about being respectful to the

families involved correct Have the next of kin been notified

for the people that we have um that we have

confirmed that have that have been the bodies have been

found Yes

The one person who has been identified I myself made

that made that notification along with a member of the

Coast Guard and now that person where they brought in

through the Beaufort boat ramp that I'm referring to

That person was actually it was located yesterday was brought

in at a different different area

What location where they brought in I can't really go

into all that

Mm hmm

But as the captain said we've been in very close

contact with the with the family members of those who

live here locally as well as those who live outside

of our county

We've had numerous conversations and doing the very best we

can to keep the family members updated on our search

and uh and recovery efforts

Hey look because you okay

Most of the family members of the passengers on board

the plane live in our county

Uh some of the family lives outside of our county

So just for confirmation can we get one more update

on exactly what kind of aircraft this was that crap

It's a um The name of the aircraft is a

PC 12 is a pC 12 type aircraft

Um You know we we can confirm that it took

off out of angle hard over in Hyde County and

it was bound on a flight for for Beaufort

But yeah beyond that you know it was a private

plane that was not a commercial plane

Um And again the rate people on board

So captain one question I have what agencies are leading

Um the investigation 1 2

How many agencies are involved in this search for the

remaining the fuselage and the and the remaining

Yes

So I'm glad you provided that distinction

So definitely there's there's a distinction between the search and

the investigation

Um And and some there is some overlap between the

two but the lead for the searches the United States

Coast Guard with carter at county north Carolina Marine Patrol

the Downeast Fire Department and several other local agencies as

well

So that's the search effort the investigation We've had communications

with the National Transportation Safety Board as in all aircraft

emergencies aircraft accidents they will conduct the investigation

So we've been in contact with that agency as well

as the Federal aviation involved as well or is it

just has that jurisdiction We have talked with the FAA

as well but they're not actively part of the search

or the investigation