Two people are dead after a plane crashed into a Western North Carolina lake over the weekend. Officials in North Carolina have confirmed the deaths of the pilot and passenger after the single engine plane crashed into Lake Hickory around 11:30 AM, Sunday.
The plane had taken off from the Hickory Regional Airport, it then hit powerlines and crash landed in the lake. Duke Energy says the crash into the lines caused about 18,000 customers in Caldwell and Catawba Counties to lose power.
The pilot has been identified as 63 year old, Jeffrey Jay Cooley of Granite Falls and the passenger has been identified as 49 year old, Brian Frank Miller of Hickory.
The incident is being investigated by the FAA and more details on what caused the crash are expected to be released.
